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Comet Branding Radio: Narrow Branding with Chris Heile

On Wednesday, July 15th at 11 a.m. CDT Al Krueger and I will be talking with Chris Heile, executive VP at hyperQuake, a brand design and marketing innovation company based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Chris is a proponent of the concept of narrow branding, as an alternative to taking a mass media approach to brands that don’t necessarily translate well into that approach. As he points out in his blog post on brandchannel.com,

“Narrow branding is a deeply subversive concept. It challenges cherished ideas about brand consistency and standards by enabling consumers to shape and mold the very essence of a brand.

But for those willing to shake off old assumptions and look at a more customer-centric approach to marketing, narrow branding promises big benefits.”

What I like about that concept is that it plays off of the idea that today’s customer is savvier and better connected than in the past. With the use of social media by just about every age group comes opportunities to connect on a more personal level with customers and for them to do the same with the brands with which they engage. As Chris points out in his post, you can think of narrow branding as brand personalization.

Naysayers may argue that this concept flies in the face of what a brand truly is or should be: a unified voice or face in the marketplace that drives everything from communications to product development. But seriously folks, this is the way things are going in the future. People just want more from their brands. And the same ol’ same ol’ is just not good enough anymore.

Hope you can tune in to our conversation. Should be a great one.

Tags: Chris Heile, hyperQuake, narrow branding, personalized branding, social media