You Brand

Brands are defined by their customers. Not only by what they say about the brand, but also by how they use it. This obviously depends on how public the usage is. Cars are a great example. On the German Autobahn – parts of which still don’t have a speed limit – some brands tend to spend more time in the left lane than others. I know, because I used to work for one of those brands

Driving behavior directly influences the brand perception by other users of the Autobahn. After all, the only thing they can see at high speeds is the car and the brand, but they can’t identify the driver. Some people consider fast driving to be aggressive, therefore the brand they saw will get an aggressive image. Many potential customers can be lost that way.

What can the brand do? Traditional broadcasting of other brand values will not be credible. After all, the above mentioned experience was authentic. People won’t trust statements that are contrary to what they have experienced personally. The personal conversation is the only solution. But how can the brand identify those that have a negative opinion, when it is not even aware of the incident that caused it? Social networks are a good place to start looking and listening.

Another learning from this example is that your most loyal fans are not necessarily your best brand ambassadors.

What’s your opinion!

The other day I was watching an old Western film. At some stage there was a close-up of a horse and I noticed the brand. Back then it was common to mark a horse and other livestock with a branding iron. The resulting brand identified the owner.

Nowadays our individual mobility mode has changed. We don’t ride horses anymore, we drive cars, at least for the time being.

Have you taken a close look at your car recently? Have you noticed how many logos there are – logos being the modern interpretation of the ‘brand’? They can be found everywhere: on each wheel, on the engine hood, on the trunk hood, on many parts in the engine compartment and of course in the passenger compartment – the most prominent location being the steering wheel. In many cases you will also find it on the car key.

Whilst we are grateful that they discovered an alternative to the branding iron, one burning question remains: Are we comfortable with the inflationary use of logos? Does it add value for us? Does it add value to the brand in question?

I personally don’t think so. Especially in today’s world where less and less consumers are relying on brands to beef up their own public image. How do you feel when being excessively branded?