Less Control Can be Better for You and your Brand
Brand authenticity. The phrase makes smart managers swoon. It means a company or organization is trusted, valued, and recommended to others. But these are traits you cannot simply invent—they must come from a foundation of integrity. Therein lies the catch-22. The harder a brand tries to appear genuine, the more fake it can seem.
For example, Fast Company’s Bill Breen is one of many critics who skewered General Motors’ “Our Country, Our Truck” campaign, which featured clichéd images of Stars-and-Stripes-loving he-men against a backdrop of amber waves of grain. GM was trying too hard to be seen as something it couldn’t really back up. Everybody knew that GM was responsible for layoffs that took tens of thousands of he-man jobs.
This example underscores that, no matter how hard you work or how well crafted your message, there are certain things your brand can’t pull off. GM wanted an image it hadn’t earned, and the harder it tried, the less convincing it was. A brand known for being too controlling is not well received on a host of levels.
An article from the July 2009 Scientific American Mind seems to back this up. Evan P. Apfelbaum and Samuel R. Sommers of Tufts hypothesized that when well-intentioned people (and by extension, I add companies) are too careful not to say the wrong thing, it backfires.
Their study used groups of white volunteers talking about race relations with a black man. The groups of volunteers were intentionally selected to include a range of mental states, from alertness to exhaustion. The theory was that mental exhaustion would make it more difficult to be overly careful. The results are as amazing as they seem counterintuitive. Those who were mentally depleted found talking about race much more enjoyable than did those whose self-control was intact. Being cognitively drained made them less inhibited and more candid. They felt good about their conversations. Not only that, but observers (both black and white) found that the less controlled volunteers were much more direct and authentic in conversation. Most striking, blacks saw the less inhibited whites as less prejudiced against blacks.
In other words, relinquishing control appears to “liberate” people to have more authentic relationships. Less control felt better and was seen as fairer and more authentic by everybody involved. Less controlled people are more human and easier to connect with. Similarly, trying too hard to avoid missteps in branding can be counter-productive.
Just as importantly, totally controlling your brand is impossible, especially with the rise of social networking. Our college clients are keenly aware of this. For all their planning, they can’t control outside forces such as CollegeHumor.com, where alums can post just about anything, and chances are few posts comply with the school’s branding guidelines. This type of viral outsider branding is only going to expand across the board. But don’t worry too much about the occasional negative post, advises higher education marketing consultant Bob Johnson. In a recent webinar, he said that—as long as most posts about your brand are positive, and you respond appropriately to any negative posts—a few negative comments actually lend credibility to your site.
What’s a CBO (Chief Brand Officer) to do? Chill out. And don’t fake it; that isn’t good for your relationship with clients. Focus on fostering, growing, and shepherding the brand. You will save time and energy, and save yourself from making mistakes. Relinquish longing for control you didn’t have in the first place.
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Cut the Strings
Less Control Can be Better for You and your Brand
For example, Fast Company’s Bill Breen is one of many critics who skewered General Motors’ “Our Country, Our Truck” campaign, which featured clichéd images of Stars-and-Stripes-loving he-men against a backdrop of amber waves of grain. GM was trying too hard to be seen as something it couldn’t really back up. Everybody knew that GM was responsible for layoffs that took tens of thousands of he-man jobs.
This example underscores that, no matter how hard you work or how well crafted your message, there are certain things your brand can’t pull off. GM wanted an image it hadn’t earned, and the harder it tried, the less convincing it was. A brand known for being too controlling is not well received on a host of levels.
An article from the July 2009 Scientific American Mind seems to back this up. Evan P. Apfelbaum and Samuel R. Sommers of Tufts hypothesized that when well-intentioned people (and by extension, I add companies) are too careful not to say the wrong thing, it backfires.
Their study used groups of white volunteers talking about race relations with a black man. The groups of volunteers were intentionally selected to include a range of mental states, from alertness to exhaustion. The theory was that mental exhaustion would make it more difficult to be overly careful. The results are as amazing as they seem counterintuitive. Those who were mentally depleted found talking about race much more enjoyable than did those whose self-control was intact. Being cognitively drained made them less inhibited and more candid. They felt good about their conversations. Not only that, but observers (both black and white) found that the less controlled volunteers were much more direct and authentic in conversation. Most striking, blacks saw the less inhibited whites as less prejudiced against blacks.
In other words, relinquishing control appears to “liberate” people to have more authentic relationships. Less control felt better and was seen as fairer and more authentic by everybody involved. Less controlled people are more human and easier to connect with. Similarly, trying too hard to avoid missteps in branding can be counter-productive.
Just as importantly, totally controlling your brand is impossible, especially with the rise of social networking. Our college clients are keenly aware of this. For all their planning, they can’t control outside forces such as CollegeHumor.com, where alums can post just about anything, and chances are few posts comply with the school’s branding guidelines. This type of viral outsider branding is only going to expand across the board. But don’t worry too much about the occasional negative post, advises higher education marketing consultant Bob Johnson. In a recent webinar, he said that—as long as most posts about your brand are positive, and you respond appropriately to any negative posts—a few negative comments actually lend credibility to your site.
What’s a CBO (Chief Brand Officer) to do? Chill out. And don’t fake it; that isn’t good for your relationship with clients. Focus on fostering, growing, and shepherding the brand. You will save time and energy, and save yourself from making mistakes. Relinquish longing for control you didn’t have in the first place.