Brand Image is in the eye of the Beholder.
Can’t help it, the Macklemore-Ryan Lewis tune “Thrift Shop” is one of my jams. Fun, catchy and it makes a pretty keen observation on marketing to our consumer culture:
“$50 for a t-shirt? I call that getting swindled and pimped. I call that getting tricked by a business.” Cracks me up since while I’d never pay that much for a tee just because it has Brand X on it, I’d be happy to get it for $14.
How did I not know about this?!
I’m a diehard clearance rack shopper at Macy’s, happy to peruse Marshall’s and TJMaxx for deals and bargains. One store that I’d never considered was ROSS.
Maybe it was the signage, maybe the “Dress for Less” tagline; can’t say I’d ever paid attention to their ads. But whatever it was, the image I had for ROSS made me think it wasn’t for me. OMG was I wrong.
ROSS has cute stuff! It’s not wall-to-wall designer, but I’ve found some nice dresses, bought cute gifts and housewares. Scored Michael Kors shoes! Told a friend about my ‘new’ store and she was like, ‘been going for years.’ I was like, ‘so you’ve been holding out on me then?!’
I’m paying attention to the ads and wow, is the marketing off brand. Is it that they’re going only for the bargain shopper? The lower end? Is that why the marketing seems to ‘miss’ the middle, and high? Whatever the reason, they need a rebrand.
Image is Everything
Think what your marketing, your communications say about your organization, your small business.
- Are you going for ‘value’ but landing on ‘cheap’? Details matter. If you’re courting the high-end market, you won’t you convey ‘gotta have it at any price luxury’ when you use cut-rate photography, design, printing, ‘buy now’ hard sell.
- If you talk ‘customer service‘ as a cornerstone of your brand, then relegate it to a subset of sales, it’s just a setup for crappy service. Call center ‘support’ staffed with nothing more than a script and no empowerment in the company only hurts your reputation – and drives customers to someone who does it better.
Close your eyes. Picture what you want customers to see, what you think they see when they hear your name.
Take a hard, honest Kitchen Nightmare Meltdown look: Your website. Your brochures and ads. The stories you tell. The lobby the greats guests, your showroom floor. The photos you splash on Facebook and Pinterest.
There’s a reason global companies like Apple, Disney, Coke know from reputation and PR, service and image; the details represent what they need them to. These things are all part of your brand – and they communicate your company’s brand image.
If you’re telling the wrong stories, building the wrong image in the eyes of your stakeholders – I can help you create the right one.
Ever been pleasantly surprised or galactically disappointed by a brand experience that was completely off? Tell me.
Photo credit: Bluntcards also crack me up.
Limits are AWESOME!
Please Make it Stop. I’m over the tweetable ‘Stop Sucking’ memes. Don’t want to read another ‘Be Epic’ blog post. Tired of the ‘Go Awesome or Go Home’ schtick.
It’s more empty ‘aim for the stars’ quiptoids, bad business advice you should ignore. To often without a single piece of real advice as to HOW, or clue how awesome will get you ahead. (This isn’t that post, just saying.)
This is NOT an [...] Continue Reading…
5 Pointers for Getting the Most from a Conference
Yeah, it’s a list. Judge away.
WIIFM
Why are you going to a conference?
Either you’re interested in learning something new or maybe rubbing elbows with thought leaders. Could be you’re looking for a target-rich environment. Even if TPTB sent you against your will or you just wanted out of the office – whatever your reason for going to a seminar or conference – if you want results, you’ll need to work [...] Continue Reading…
I Keep My Own Agency
My Klout is low, my influencers ‘so and so.’ My Blog is under-read, probably not enough about Bacon! My SEO and inbound marketing make Dyson jealous. My ‘social proof’ is lacking, I’ve peaked, hit the social plateau.
Yada yada. I’m intrigued by this notion of social influence yet still.. skeptical.
The company we keep
I’m social because I build networks and make contacts, and I learn something out here almost every day that contributes [...] Continue Reading…
Pork Chops with a side of Thanks
This is good! Smart, clever and fodder for (hopefully) a quick-and-easy blog post.
Two Words. And a Gift in Return.
It’s so simple right, “Thank You.”
Maybe it’s a little note card or an email, could be a DM or LinkedIn message — when someone does something for me, I try to say “thank you.” I’ve got some cute ‘coffee cup’ note cards, even add Starbucks gift cards to them on occasion.
It’s [...] Continue Reading…