BRAND BIBLES – WRITING THE NEW TESTAMENT
A while back some clever strategist looking for another way to afford another beach house, conceived the idea of creating a special little book for a brand. The book would treat the brand like a person; give it a personality, a social standing, a few colours that it clothes itself in and a few key phrases that really sum up what it’s about. (If the brand was on RSVP a potential suitor would know all about them instantly, fall in love and marriage would follow). Best of all, this amazing book would be called a Brand Bible! What a catchy title. Genius huh?
Once marketers caught on, every brand got one of these important guidebooks and they were taken very seriously indeed – as they should be. It is entirely correct to think of a brand as a person since people are the ones they have to relate to, every day of their brand lives. But although this has helped to strengthen many brands immensely, helped them to discover who they are, what they stand for, and to say it clearly and consistently every time they communicate with us, we see today that brand bibles had a major drawback. No-where did they allow for that very human quality of change.
Brand managers stick to Brand Bible guidelines…ummmm…religiously. What this means is that over time a lot of brands have become incredibly predictable, and insufferably boring. Imagine being at a party with most financial brands. They’re pretty similar looking, they dress conservatively, they get excited by numbers and talk a different language. You’re not mixing with those dudes and if you do, it aint gonna be all night unless you’re an insomniac and are looking for ways to induce sleep. And what about some beauty brands? Good looking – yes. Not much else unfortunately. The problem is that the personalities of lots of brands competing in the same markets are defined by very similar words. Same same but different. Look at those make-up chicks: youthful, attractive, fun, fashionable, happy. Great qualities. So why don’t they interest us?
To stand out from the crowd brands need to evolve their personalities. And the Internet (and digital media) is where new facets of brand personality can be revealed to consumers.
The Internet represents a huge opportunity for brands to throw off their boring old clothes and try something new. It offers the chance for a brand to have some new experiences, meet some new people, re-introduce themselves and expose their evolving personality. People change and with that their personalities change and evolve; they become wiser, they develop new interests, they discover new things and they talk about them. Brands should reflect on this when looking at their own personalities.
The old rules do not apply online. Brands that do not adapt will not survive at the (very crowded) online party. They will be left in the corner because they either talk at you (no-one likes that) or they try to talk with you but conversation is mind-numbing (and you’ve heard the same thing before from them anyway).
What is exciting is that brands that consumers think are ho-hum have the most to gain from the Internet environment. They have the great chance to really surprise and excite an online audience by being unexpected and veering from their normal conservative behaviour. ‘Wow! I didn’t expect that from (insert brand name)!†The Internet is the place for a brand to reveal new components of its personality, never before seen by consumers. It’s a place where it’s okay to remove some of those creatively restrictive shackles, put on a new outfit and cut loose for a bit. A great digital idea can evolve and revive a brand.
This is an emergency call out to CEO’S, Brand Managers and Account Executives. Look closely at your serious, unfunny, conservative, grey, boring brand and throw it a digital lifeline before it drowns in a sea of predicability. Embrace the power of digital and add a new chapter of real human qualities to your personality. Amen.
One comment
Simon Morgan said: (on March 11th, 2008 at 9:17 pm)
Nice sermon brother, we see the light.
I think the point is that brand owners need to be prepared to take risks, because safety = invisibility. Well done to Hertz – the picture you reference for doing just that with a very amusing Christmas card.