Posts Tagged brand development
Madmen & Loyal Brand Customers
Posted by Mike Paffenback in Brand Touchpoints on July 30, 2010
photo copyright AMC
I like the AMC cable tv series, Madmen. It’s set in the early 1960′s New York advertising agency world and seems to deliver an accurate peek into how that business operated back then (well before my time) while weaving in the requisite tv drama of relationship issues, marital affairs, etc.
There’s a natural interest because of the advertising business context, my livelihood for the past 30 years. But there’s something more. There’s a certain visual style, a consistent smartness to the writing, a tight definition of the character roles, a freshness to the plot turns, and a real involvement with the unfolding storyline and the characters. Every time I watch, I have an expectation that my one-hour investment won’t be wasted.
Madmen appeals to me for various reasons, and it continues to reinforce those reasons every time I tune in. From day one, I’ve been a loyal customer of the show. And, until the producers mess up and give me a reason to stray elsewhere, I’ll continue to tune in to AMC every Sunday night at 10pm.
Apparently I’m not alone. The show does well in the ratings and has garnered critical acclaim since it began its run in the summer of 2007. And for uber-fanatics, there are various ways to become even more deeply engaged with the show and it’s characters online and through social media.
Successful tv shows like Madmen are actually no different than successful brands.
Just as for well-liked tv shows, well-liked brands cultivate customer loyalty by consistently reinforcing the reasons those customers became customers to begin with. They do this by carefully identifying, prioritizing, and then deliberately managing the customer interactions with the brand — the brand touchpoints — that drive the sale, reinforce brand loyalty, and foster a genuine long-term engagement.
Customers form a positive image about the brands they repeatedly use, just like they do for the tv shows they routinely watch. Maybe it’s worth thinking about your brands as if they were tv shows:
- Are people tuning in?
- Tuning out?
- Are they regular viewers?
- Hit and miss?
- Loyal fanatics?
- Why?
Getting a handle on this now so you can better manage your brand touchpoints that matter will pay off with brand loyalty later.
Brand Identity and Brand Touchpoints
Posted by Mike Paffenback in Brand Identity, Brand Touchpoints on July 26, 2010
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
We were all asked that at one time or another (I still ponder over this question for myself some days). It’s a fair question to consider for your brand(s) right now – what do you want it/them to be today and tomorrow? The process of formally answering this is the development of your brand identity. It’s the platform from which all your future brand-related activities will spring to life. It’s the litmus test to determine if future initiatives are in the best interest for the brand. It’s the standard for how you deliver your brand touchpoints.
This brand identity thing is a pretty big deal.
Managers of successful brands have paid much attention to developing and managing their brand identity. Disney. Apple. BMW. Nike. Local sports franchises, and their leagues. Even popular novelists and rock bands. Each has a distinctive truth about it, which is consistently reinforced time and again in the way their respective touchpoints are delivered. And make no mistake: the various touch points for each have been carefully planned and administered, and proactively managed as the marketplace continues to shift and evolve.
Developing a successful brand identity is a complex process, but the big picture is this: consider what you want your customers, prospects, and others to think about your brand and define specifically how you want them to experience their interactions with the brand. Then, plan and consistently deliver that defined brand experience … graphically, via your facilities, through your online and traditional promotional programs, in your sales presentations and customer service, and the myriad of other brand touchpoints that help drive sales (new and repeat) for your business.
So, what do you want your brand to be when it grows up? Today is a great day to start thinking or rethinking about it.