If your brand was a crime, would witnesses be reliable in the re-telling of your story?
Walking down the street with two sacks of groceries in your arms, you hear a loud scream and turn just in time to see a man running at a woman. You watch in complete horror as he assaults the woman shoving her to the ground, taking all her things. Not until it is too late do bystanders come to this woman's aid. Fast forward a week or so, you find yourself being questioned by detectives about specific details of what you witnessed. Even though you watched the entire crime play out, other witness' statements are very different from your own.
This is a very common problem with eye witnesses. Even though they should be the most reliable source, history has proven they are far from it.
Various factors play a role in the inconsistency of an eye witness. The biggest factor is life experience or culture. Because each eye witness has a different life experience, they will recall the crime filtered through the perspective their life experience has brought them. All the witnesses are united in a common goal to bring the man to justice, however, this automatic bias has led to countless errors and mistakes in our court system, ultimately sending innocent people to prison. If witnesses' perceptions are altered at this magnitude for serious matters, how much more are their perceptions skewed during every day tasks?
What about your customers? Don't they come with the vast majority of cultural variance and life experience that our global economy provides? Do you think every prospect and customer will react the same way to your company's marketing design? No matter what decision you make in the design of your collateral, logo, or website, the customer or prospect will view your marketing materials through their own life experiences. These hidden perceptions could make or break your incoming revenue.
If your brand was a crime, would witnesses be reliable in the re-telling of your story?
posted by justbrady @ 1:30 PM
2 Comments:
Couple of thoughts.
1. You're a good writer and should post more often.
2. I agree with everything you say here but will make the argument that this story supports the brand consistency discussion - which may not have been your intention.
My take: If everyone's perceptions are unique, and that perception is based on their own unique life experiences - which they are, then there better not be any chinks in the "brand armor."
If the brand message is weak, forgettable, unclear or disjointed, AND multiple perceptions form the sum of the entire brand value THEN the overall brand value is diminished.
Jeez, Brady, feel like I'm in a science class. : )
Thanks Josh,
I agree with you that brand consistency is certainly important, and what you are saying is dead on: Make sure your brand is researched, accurate and concrete before proceeding. Then, keep the message consistent as to not confuse or distract your audience.
My main point is this: Before proceeding with ANY branding or marketing, make sure you are empathetic to your audiences perceptions. Many times, marketers and designers get caught up in trends colors or the product and forget about how their audience will respond to the design. Kinda like the Motrin Moms campaign. = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhR-y1N6R8Q&feature=video_response
Thanks for adding to the conversation!
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