Comet Branding - Branding | PR | Social Media

Truth in Branding, It Works

When I was reading the November issue of Fast Company magazine, I came across an article about noted guerilla marketer Sam Ewen. Now, the idea of guerrilla marketing is interesting, but it was his following comments that stood out to me that are also important in branding and public relations.

“… So much of it (traditional advertising) is sold on a promise of what kind of person those tires – or whatever – are going to make you be. Not about what those tires do.” Noting the idea of selling products by suggesting that they will make you rich and sexy. “I believe that the new killer app in advertising is honesty.”

Now, I am not suggesting that there isn’t honesty in advertising, but I would like you to consider that in branding, honesty and authenticity are key components to connecting and engaging more fully with your key customers. In addition, this path is a lot easier and a more productive use of your budget dollars.

On the day before Thanksgiving, I had the chance to chat with Barry Judge, the chief marketing officer of Best Buy, to get his take on the strategies and tactics his company uses to connect with customers. One of the first things he mentioned, as a fundamental objective, is that they are working to help make Best Buy more trusted as a way to show that the brand is unique and better than others.

“One of the first things that we need to do as a brand is become more trusted. We have to show that we have the customers’ best interests at heart. At times, we might not always be perfect, but our intent is there,” Judge said. “The second part, once we have the customers’ trust, is to show that we can add value by sharing our perspective on how we can help our customers find the right products and the right ways to realize what it is they are trying to do.

“It all starts with trust, and a key element of trust is sharing all that we know, because our brand is a collection of people. The more that all of us can be open, the more we are starting to move the brand forward.”

The company that you and I work with might not be as large as Best Buy or control a marketing budget of its magnitude, but that doesn’t matter. You don’t have to have massive budgets to show that honesty and authenticity work. It can actually be easier in a smaller company, because just like Best Buy is a collection of people, so is your business. Let them be your brand by being their true self.

Let your people be more of your brand by helping them show their knowledge, experience and personality. When your customers feel like they are getting the full and true brand of your company through your people, they will connect and engage. Your customers will become friends and will trust you. Then you can show them greater value by fulfilling their needs and helping them.

So, the next time you are setting out to advance your brand through any number of strategies or tactics, think first about taking an easier path of straight, authentic honesty. You don’t have to manufacture some kind of hyper-sexy elevated reality to connect with customers. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. How do you want to be treated? How do you want to connect? How honest and authentic do you want people to be to you? The answer is probably easy to find. Honestly.

Tags: branding, truth