“Lovemarks” is a marketing term that was intended to replace the idea of brands.
The term was coined a few years ago by Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Roberts claims, “Brands are running out of juice.” While I don’t entirely agree that brands are running out of juice, I do believe that the term “brand” has become so watered down and misunderstood that companies need some extra jos to reconnect with customers.
Love is what’s needed to rescue brands. This love stuff isn’t marketing “fluff.” It’s the truth and whether or not you choose to believe it is irrelevant. That being said, if you are interested in building loyalty beyond reason, if you are looking at becoming truly great; the following are key ingredients to elevating your company’s status to that of a Lovemark: Mystery: Tell great stories. Exercise your past, present and future. Tap into dreams, myths and icons. Inspire people.
Sensuality: Sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste. Excite the senses. We are sensual beings making emotional decisions. Tap into the 5 senses and you’ll be a winner.
Intimacy: Commitment, empathy, and passion. Show your customers you are an intimate person/company, and they’ll show you love back.
The difference between a product, fad, brand and Lovemark is simple.
The schema is based on respect and love.
Mere products (commodities) command neither love nor respect. Think salt. (Or Comic Sans).
Fads attract love, but without respect this love is just a passing infatuation. Transformers anyone?
Brands attract respect, even lasting respect, but generally without love. I respect Burger King, but I don’t love them. Lovemarks command both respect and love. BMW. Grey Goose. Virgin. These are Lovemarks and they’ve achieved Lovemark status by binding the holy trinity of mystery, sensuality, and intimacy.
A glimpse into the ethereal experience that is Vancouver.
This video has it all, beauty, mystery, sensuality. Thank you InnerLife & Linda Ganzini; you’ve inspired me to want to share the beauty of my city.
Recently, I outlined 2 of the 5 keys to successfully creating a mysterious brand. Today I’ll outline the final 3.
3. Tap into dreams.
Dreams inspire action and action encourages dreams. If you know what your customers or clients dream, it can only mean you are trusted and loved by them. Tapping into dreams is about listening to people. Being curious. Asking lots and lots of questions. The only way to be heard is to listen. Not just keeping your mouth closed between all the brilliant statements that you make, but really listening. Tapping into dreams is a powerful way to show others that you understand their desires and you can turn them into a joyous reality.
4. Cherish your icons.
Too often do I hear statements like, “It’s just a logo,” or “Logo’s aren’t that important – people put too much emphasis on them.” When an icon is belittled to the point of being called a logo, this is true. And for these people, that’s all it will ever be (poor them).
However, if an icon is truly cherished, nothing could be more untrue. Imagine a newspaper, choc full of information, headlines, facts, stories, and pictures. Now imagine as you turn to page B8 of the Business Section. Your attention is stolen, only for a fraction of a second. There is a little pink icon at the bottom right hand corner of the page. It is the Pink Ribbon of the Breast Cancer Society. Consider the power this icon has even though it entered your mind only for a millisecond! This little pink ribbon represents so much! Pain. Passion. Perseverance. Nothing out there cuts through everyday clutter like a simple, well designed icon. Why? Because great icons trigger memory and your heart is irrefutably attached to your memory.
5. Build on inspiration.
Inspiration is sudden brilliance. Inspiration has always had the power to transform lives, and inspiration can navigate people through the craziest, the darkest, and the most upside-down of times. Nelson Mandella. Have your ever heard 5 syllables tell such a compelling story? Very few names conjure more inspirational thoughts and ideas than his. Mandella is a true metaphor for doing what is right and holding to your principles. Capture the essence of inspiration and you too will be able to motivate others to act and change.
A couple weeks ago, I was discussing mystery and its integral role in creating solid relationships with your customers and clients. Today we’ll outline 2 of the 5 keys to successfully creating a mysterious brand.
1. You have to tell great stories.
If you choose to continue to live in the information world, you will undoubtedly find it is too difficult a place to stimulate action, let alone passion. It is not to say that information doesn’t matter – it does. Absolutely it does. (And all those stats and figures, those matter too). But it is not what attracts people to you. The sale is made long before information even becomes important.
Consider the greatest brands in your city. The greatest brands in your city are probably the greatest story tellers around, plus they probably use their stories to show why the information matters.
Have you ever been to a seminar where the speaker goes on and on with loads of stats, figures and reports? Did that promote you to act and create change? On the other hand, have you ever listened to someone tell a really great story? How did that make you feel? A great story at the right time can change our minds and release the vital “Ah-Ha Moment” because it taps into our emotions (positive and negative, whimsical and painful).
Stories are how you explain the world to yourself. It gives value to the things you love in life. Alice in Wonderland is one of the most interesting and beloved stories of all time, and it will endure forever. Why? Because there will always be someone new ready to hear the story for the first time.
So where do you find the Alice in Wonderland for your company? It comes from people. From the people who love what you do and care enough to tell you. Their experiences can harvest stories worth their weight in gold. Urban Jungle recently received a testimonial from one of our best customers. This story is so valuable we can only begin to describe it. What is it worth? 100 sales calls? Maybe a 1000? Actually now that I think about it, it’s probably worth 10,000; I really hate ‘sales’ calls! But to me it’s worth much more than that because it’s proof that stories and mysteries exist within Urban Jungle. And stories, like ideas are eternal. A good story about you and your company proves that you have fans, people love you, and you are a good person to develop a relationship with.
2. Exercise your past, present and future.
The world’s greatest brands unite learning from the past with understanding the dynamics of the present to create fantastic futures. They recognize that emotional legacy can inspire passion for the current and it can inspire the most loyal of fans.
Look to sports if you ever want to see the past working brilliantly together with the present and the future. When you close your eyes and think of the Edmonton Oilers, historically you’ll envision Mark Messier making plays; Wayne Gretzky scoring goals and shattering records; and Grant Fuhr stabbing his lightning quick glove hand into the air.
With the rush of the past should also appear nightmares of the present with ridiculously overpaid Horcoffs and hilarious losing streaks. And with the disdain of the present, comes dreams of the future in guys like Dustin Penner, Jordan Eberle, (and a 1st round pick yet to be determined) and ‘Oh Canada’ being sung by thousands of fans at deafening decibel levels once again.
Stanley Cups, game winning goals, hockey fever at Rexal Place; the energy created is something truly amazing and it is what will continue to inspire those who love sport to keep coming back for more.
I heard an inspirational saying by the New Zealand All Blacks once that sums this point up so beautifully,
“Preserving your body never enters your mind. Preserving your history never leaves it.”
The hairs stand up on my neck just whispering that.
Businesses are completely obsessed to organize and structure their world
so their customers “understand” and know everything there is to know about them. Why do you think this is? Do these companies figure that understanding will translate to a logical conclusion to purchase? Do you find it tough to communicate or get your point understood by customers? Perhaps it is because you are telling them everything and not leaving anything up to mystery?
Identifying benefits, outlining targets, drawing up plans and strategies, backing them up with statistics…man it gives me a headache just thinking about it! Strategies such as this in any line of business are grossly time-consuming and experience only moderate levels of success. Whether you are in the food business, the retail business, or any other kind of business, rethink your strategy. How can it possibly work that well? Everyone; all of your competitors have the same resources, the same information, and in many cases the same processes and people. What is your unique value proposition? What is your defining factor for success?
Great relationships thrive on learning, anticipation, and surprise. Think about any relationship you’ve had. When you know everything there is to know about someone, what is left for you to discover? Where is the wonder? Where are the opportunities? Where is the relationship?
As long as you continue to have goals, aspirations and dreams, you will always crave mystery.
Have you ever heard of anyone craving statistics or bar graphs? Me neither. Mystery invites you to feel emotion because it adds to the complexity of relationships and experience. Mystery lies in the stories, metaphors, and iconic characters that give a relationship its texture. Mystery is a key part of creating loyalty with your customers and clients.
Perhaps you are in a line of work that isn’t “sexy.” You may be asking yourself “Where do I find my mysteries? How do I create mystery within my organization?” The beauty is you already have mystery. Everyone has it – you just have to recognize it. There are 5 keys to successfully create a mysterious brand, which we’ll talk about in a future post.
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Lovemarks
Now imagine as you turn to page B8 of the Business Section. Your attention is stolen, only for a fraction of a second. There is a little pink icon at the bottom right hand corner of the page. It is the Pink Ribbon of the Breast Cancer Society. Consider the power this icon has even though it entered your mind only for a millisecond! This little pink ribbon represents so much! Pain. Passion. Perseverance. Nothing out there cuts through everyday clutter like a simple, well designed icon. Why? Because great icons trigger memory and your heart is irrefutably attached to your memory.
They recognize that emotional legacy can inspire passion for the current and it can inspire the most loyal of fans.
How can it possibly work that well? Everyone; all of your competitors have the same resources, the same information, and in many cases the same processes and people. What is your unique value proposition? What is your defining factor for success?
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