The Engaging Brand

Who are you...you are a diamond?

Talking business with Dad was always....infuriating and exciting...both at the same time :) 

I remember talking about "Work Anna" and "Home Anna" and wondering how much the two should overlap. We had a discussion about how core values have to apply to all parts of your world but then he said something which I think is as relevant to brands as it is to people....and very relevant in a world of social media. He said

"You are a diamond"

Clearly I started to smile and look very proud of myself because Dad then said

"You are obviously a gem to me however that is not what I mean here., I mean  that as people we are multi dimensional like a diamond. When we understand that beauty comes from the different aspects and the different lights which reflect across the surfaces...then we become that rare commodity in the business world...the diamond which is sparkling, beautiful, valuable and yet robust at the same time.

When we understand that we cannot deny the multi-dimensional element and instead thrive on bringing the dimensions together to create beauty...then we have found our true value to share with the world."

Emotion is better than beauty!

Isabella Rossellini was interviewed this week on television - remember that box that used to sit in your lounge! - anyway, I was hit by something she said

She basically said it doesn't matter how beautiful you are as a model or actress if you can't express emotion you will not succeed...the beauty gets you the testing but the expression of emotion gets you the role.

Yet, how much time do people spend on the prettiness, the beauty compared to the emotional connection? It is the emotional connection that sells you, the brand, the message....in leadership, life, social media a great test is to see how much of your day is spent on emotion.

Know a 18-24 yr old entrepreneur wanting £5,000?

I am a true believer in talent and a supporter of young talent. Part of the reason I do The Engaging Brand podcast is to provide a learning resource to up and coming talent. So I was really pleased to see two local successful entrepreneurs offering a wonderful prize. 

Debbie and Andrew Keeble (who produce the best sausages in the world - trust me I am quite the connoisseur on sausages!!!) are running a competition for 18-24 year olds who have

"a strong idea for a food or drink product or have developed a product in the last 12 months and need help and support to take it to market."

If you know of someone, a relative or someone in your area and they might want the chance to win a prize of £5,000 plus a year of mentoring and support from Debbie and Andrew then here is a link to the Dragons Pen entry form.

In a recessionary time isn't it wonderful to see a brand and its leaders still finding the funding to encourage new talent...well done.

Context is the Defining Factor for Brands

Brands need to stand for (or against) something...we understand this principle. However, that is not the end of the brand story, it is the start of the brand journey.

It is how what the brand stands for, relates to the world of the consumer. The world revolves around connections....and brands revolve around connections.

Brands which can stand for - or against - something and ensure that they can relate that to the context of the consumer's world succeed....for as long as they deliver that brand value and for as long as they stay relevant to the consumers world.

More and more in the work I do, I find there is one word that constantly springs to mind......CONTEXT.

I used to think content is king in social media and sure it remains a necessary

component of social media but in some ways that is now a given  - much like quality is in the retail world.

Now I think "context is the defining factor once you have reached the expected minimum of quality content".....

Why everything matters....

One phrase that annoys me is "That doesn't matter". Why? Because if I am asking then it matters to me...!

I think we should always remember that everything matters to someone. You can see this by the growth in niche subjects in the blogosphere. It may not matter to you, but it matters to someone.

I think if we use our gray matter to realise that if a customer or an employee asks us about something then we should take a few moments to answer their query. People have choice, people can choose you or something else...but there is one thing that money can't buy...and that is time.

Time is the valuable resource that we can give which shows that everything matters. Now I don't mean that we should get bogged down in all the details, but what I do mean is understanding that brand engagement often comes in the smallest detail

The thank you, the smile, the answer, the option, the listening....

My World Branded?

I grew up in a time when choice grew exponentially. When I compare the choices I had to my parents...wow, well it doesn't compare at all. Yet both generations grew up in the same small village.

I remember being excited by choice, I remember being excited by brands persuading me why I should choose them....However, seemingly when human beings get what they want, then that becomes boring. Now choice is a given to me, it doesn't excite me.

Now simplifying, or filtering that choice is more important to me. Or even making that choice one of personalization rather than the generic brand.

I wonder what will be the next evolution

...will it be 'My brand'. Will I just have tools to create my own needs? Will I be able to produce my own branded goods? Will companies be the outsourcing part of my world?

I wonder....

Branding - With strings attached :)

Last week I had the pleasure of having lunch with Guido Dieteren who is a wonderful violinist and conductor of his own Guido's Orchestra.  

I love people who are authentic and who are passionate about what they do...after an hour with Guido you understand what true branding really is!

True branding is not a piece of paper, a logo or what you want people to see...it is who you are, it is what your values are, it is the way you live your life personally and professionally. You cannot manufacture that...the person, the company..the orchestra has to feel that...

I was so impressed with his desire that everything he touches and everything he is involved in - just has to be done in the right way and to the right values. It is not about trying to build a brand, it is about his desire to create a better world. A world which has less poverty, a world which reaches out to people and helps....We were only talking over lunch with friends but I was moved by the passion - and I realised that is what a true brand achieves...it captures your heart as well as your head.

I was struck because when you hear people such as Guido, such as Steve Jobs, such as Richard Branson....you realise that you cannot create a true authentic brand, it grows from inside their soul....a seed of passion that creates who they are....

Check out the spectacular it creates over at the Facebook page for Guido's Orchestra, look at the way he uses colour, different sounds, movement to create the experience...I think we can learn so much from musicians.

This is an earlier video I found on YouTube....

What is a brand and what is branding?

Dad was not what people would call a traditional marketer, he believed that branding was just "common sense - deliver what you promise and trust people will recommend" Ironic as nowadays this kind of definition would stand the test of time..this is a summary of what he taught me all those years ago.

Branding is a verb of motion and emotion

Motion in the sense of balancing the need to keep true to the core and yet innovating to keep the brand fresh.

Emotion in the sense of developing a personality which engages people.

Brand is a noun of definition and consistency

Definition in knowing what it stands for

Consistency in knowing that the definition will be delivered every time, every day and in every way.

How to make strong brand connections?

The web is about connections. Our life is about connections. Business is about connections. Mmm so connections are not new, connections are the way we live our life....

So why do we find establishing connections hard, why do we fail to make meaningful connections that can help us personally or help our brand?

• Connections are driven by emotional need - connections which matter, connect emotionally not through a click of a button.
• Connections are about quality not quantity.
• Connections are about giving, sharing, partnering.....not telling, persuading or expecting a return.
• Connections don't need money, they need something much more precious...time.

When you look at the above...emotion, time, giving, quality...they all personal, they all need a person to WANT to give a little of themselves, rather than merely "a role with a budget".

The best quote I believe is one from Dr Maya Angelou, which I read at the end of The Engaging Brand podcast each week

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel"

For me - Brands are not in the consumer business, they are in the feeling business!

Finding a brands voice

Finding your voice is an important part of social media. A voice of a human being is not a tangible thing, it is the combination as defined by wikipedia as

"The lung must produce adequate airflow and air pressure to vibrate vocal folds ... The vocal folds (vocal cords) are a vibrating valve that chops up the airflow from the lungs into audible pulses ...The articulators (.. consisting of tongue, palate, cheek, lips, etc.) articulate and filter the sound emanating from the larynx"

For brands it is the same, finding your voice is a combination.

1. Understanding of who you are (and who you are not!) and what you stand for
2. The ability to express your ideas through words and actions
3. The ability to connect the rational reasons why your brand is worth listening to, with the emotional reasons which cause people to want to connect with your brand.

For me there are 4 steps to finding your brand voice

1. Truly understanding who you are
2. Investing in communication skills
3. Finding communication and social media tools which fit with your communication style
4. Practice, learn, practice, learn, practice...forever!

A voice doesn't just happen, it is a combination of understanding, skill and learning.