April 8, 2011

What’s your brand personality?

A new lens on how to appeal to your best customers

Are you exciting or sincere? I know, you want to be both. It’s better to cultivate one when it comes to your brand, though. At least that’s what seems to work with the people most likely to become your biggest fans.

Remember my post on brand attachment? Quick review: some of us are more influenced by brands than others thanks to an “anxious” attachment, or relationship, style formed in infancy.

Of course you want to court this set of people. They are potentially your most enthusiastic, loyal customers, your brand ambassadors. But what kind of brand personality are these anxiously attached people into, exactly?

The answer, apparently, is either a) “exciting” if the person is wary of other people (“high-avoidance”), or b) “sincere” if the person seeks out others (“low-avoidance”), according to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Anxious types with a high-avoidance relationship style are independent. They value self-reliance, self-assertion, and autonomy. All of which is expressed by an “exciting” brand personality: one that communicates vitality, independence, and uniqueness. Think Mountain Hardwear.

Anxious types with a low-avoidance style are more inclined to pursue connection and intimate relationships. They’re drawn to a “sincere,” down-to-earth brand personality: one that communicates honesty, nurturance, warmth, family orientation, traditionalism. Think L.L. Bean.

This either/or classification might seem simplistic, but the researchers, from the Katz Graduate School of Business (Univ. of Pittsburgh) and the Carlson School of Management (Univ. of Minnesota), say that “exciting” and “sincere” pretty much capture most of the dimensions of brand personality.

In my recent post I talked about the ability of a brand to hold supposedly opposite personality attributes, but this indicates that you can’t mix and match attributes willy-nilly. Pairing “exciting” with “sincere” could backfire.

Questions

• Can this dichotomy be carried through to other attributes? For example, are there parallels with what is seen as conventional and what is rebellious? How far can Harley-Davidson push itself into the mainstream before its brand becomes muddled and lost?

• What percentage of your consumer base might be defined as anxious? To what degree should they be considered?

• What other third-rail dichotomies exist?

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April 1, 2011

Sneezing Sells!

Believe what comes from their mouths!

According to recent studies, a sneeze is worth a thousand words…and thousands of dollars! Researchers at the National Institute for NeuroNasology found that a nose blow does more than clear the nostrils (even if it doesn’t clear the air!), it reveals an individual’s intentions. Dr. Bill Nares sums it up, “One sneeze indicates skepticism, while two says, ‘I’m buying.’ In other words, we’ve found the Holy Grail of reading minds.”

And apparently, we can’t dodge it. Even if we know that sneezes give us away, we can’t stop it. As such, it has been dubbed the Holy Hurl-istic. Market researchers are ecstatic, and are experimenting with the best way to incorporate this knowledge. Chuck Aöt, VP Marketing for Whole Flair said, “Sounds obvious, but we find that pumping a little pepper, or other iritant, into the focus group, or whatever, gets us to where we want.”

So, the next time you research, pull out the shaker and hand out some tissues. ‘Cause your subjects will be giving you gold. And suddenly, “blowing it” takes on a hole new meaning.

Posted in Marketing, Research | 1 Comment
March 7, 2011

Opposites Attract

Don’t limit your brand to one word

Branding tries to simplify an organization’s personality. The idea is to boil down the essence of an organization to one logo, one adjective, etc. A common branding exercise is to ask people, “What is the one word that comes to mind when you think of____________?”

The idea is that a brand wants to own a word. Companies want customers to equate that one word only with them. To back up this branding bias, we cite examples like Volvo = safety.

I say, good friggin’ luck. It is not going to happen. There are too many companies and too few adjectives, and a few successes are not going to change that. Even if the numbers weren’t against you, it is simply an unrealistic goal. Let’s assume that a brand is an organization’s personality. What personality can be reduced to one word? It is not the human condition.

The human condition is characterized by a balance of opposites, and that, we find with most branding exercises, goes for the brand condition too. You can find many more examples of this balance than of a brand owning a word.

For example, we work with a retirement community that needs to balance the concepts of dependence (aid, care, support) with the residents’ desire for independence. A college client needs to balance tradition (to appeal to alums) with cutting edge (to appeal to prospective students).

But let’s turn to my bathroom. I shave with Edge, which at first glance is the epitome of manliness. The macho name, the bold colors … I like that! That’s me! I’m a man’s man, and that is reflected in the products I buy. Yet read the copy: “cooling,” “sensitive,” “closeness,” “comfort.” Gads, I’m being pampered!

But I like it. Because I’m a guy, and being a guy means facing the fact that I’m tough, yet sensitive. I’m a bundle of contradictions. So is your brand. Embrace it.

Posted in Branding | 1 Comment
January 31, 2011

Can You be Trusted? Start with Saying So.

Customers are wired to believe it

I’ve said it before: trust is the most important thing a business can cultivate. Yet these days, trust—especially of marketers—is hard to come by in the U.S.

I’ve blogged about ways to foster trust before. But add to the top of that list a dead-simple yet overlooked way to approach the problem: If you want your customers to trust you, just tell them they can. Really.

Researchers tacked the following statement to the end of an ad for an auto service firm:

You can trust us to do the job for you.

The surprising result of those 10 words was that trust scores improved by as much as 33 percent (you can read more about the study in Dan Hill’s new book, About Face).

Strange but true. The thing is, your customers are looking for a reason to trust you, because human beings are hardwired to trust.

Neuroscientists exploring the underpinnings of trust have identified a hormone that seems designed to encourage it. It’s called oxytocin. The amygdala, a region of the brain involved in emotion and fear, is full of oxytocin receptors. When oxytocin hits those receptors, it appears to calm the amygdala’s fear response. We become more willing to take a risk like trusting someone—even a complete stranger, or even after we’ve been ripped off.

It makes sense that evolution put a premium on trust. Without it, there would be no social cohesion. Complex societies like ours would be totally impossible. When you buy a used book from some faraway Amazon vendor, you’re trusting that it will show up. When you get into your car, you’re trusting that other drivers will follow the rules of the road, more or less. When your house is on fire, you can trust that the  firefighters will race over and put it out (well, in most places, speaking of declining trust). High levels of social trust are associated with stronger democracies, more affluence, better health, and fewer social ills like crime and corruption. Social trust is also a much better predictor of perceived quality of life and personal happiness than a community’s education or income level.

So just say it: “You can trust us.” Don’t assume that it goes without saying, and ignore any cynical snorts. You’ll be telling your customers exactly what their brains want to hear.

Posted in Marketing | 1 Comment
December 9, 2010

My Oatmeal, Myself

Brand attachment is not about the brand

It’s obvious enough that people can develop strong bonds with brands. But a recent USC Marshall School of Business study revealed the real power of “brand attachment.” It found that when people are deprived of their brands, they can actually suffer separation anxiety and will sacrifice quite a bit—in time, money, energy, and reputation—to get them back.

I can understand getting attached to your iPod, and even your university, but your oatmeal? Yet this study found strong attachment to all of those things. What is this brand attachment? This thing that makes strong men quake when deprived of their Quaker Oats? Read More »

Posted in Branding, Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment