What's LOVE Got to Do with Business? 5-Essential Branding Tips for Businesses.

‍When Dorothy found herself lost in and alone in Oz, it wasn’t the bright lights and dazzle of Munchkin Land that she identified with. Instead, she found sanctuary with Scarecrow, Lion and the Tinman, whose only quest was to gain a brain, some courage and a heart. Like Dorothy and her friends, we’re all looking to live our lives in the best way we can. And when it comes to interacting with businesses, consumers are looking for a new approach – brands that they can identify with and love.

It would be nice if we lived in a world where business wasn’t so cutthroat.

Where heart-felt companies worked to make life a little better for all their customers. Sadly, today’s business culture seems to be one of getting to the top - a culture where having the most power, status and wealth is the mark of how successful they are.

There’s no denying it. Look around you and you’ll have to agree that we live in a world of consumption and compromise. Where life, and trends, move fast – there’s always something new, something better, around the corner and the ‘things’ that we loved today are sure to have a short shelf life.

The businesses around us certainly know it too. And in a somewhat crowded marketplace they have to shout about their products or services loudly and constantly to get noticed. Marketing is everywhere around us – thanks to our vast media industry it follows us everywhere. The news we read, be it in print or online is surrounded by marketing or brand sponsorship; even the TV and radio channels we engage with bombard us with adverts and branded campaigns. It almost seems unbelievable that today we come into contact with six times more media and marketing content than the generation before us. Our love of social media heightens these statistics too.

With so many products, services and brands trying their best to interact with us each day, it’s easy to see who gets it right and who gets it wrong.

And by golly, there are a lot of easily forgotten brands out there. Mainly because they didn’t have the courage to embrace the discomfort of change, engage in a bigger, more genuine conversation and make their biggest mark in the marketplace.

So, whether you are a branding expert or not, you should step through your fears and dare to break out of your comfort zone, always wanting to engage with your audience in a way that is both authentic and has meaning. And you can do that by developing BRAND LOVE. By this, we mean the kind of brand that evokes emotion within its audience, and connects with them on a deeper level than just ‘seller and consumer’.

Yes, it’s all well and good to say that a heart-centred agenda in our business would go some way to making life better for everyone.

But isn’t it time there was less talk and more action? Less fear and more calculated risk taking. Less talk about marketing budgets and more about meaningful ideas. These days it is more important than ever for companies to have a soul – to understand what it is to be human, and show life as it really is (not how someone tells us it should be).

Believe it, or not, the authenticity and truth in your branding, and in turn your marketing communications, can actually go some way towards making the world better.

So, what do you need to do to ensure your branding is authentic?

Well, one thing is definite – DON’T just pluck your brand values out of thin air because they sound nice. You might like the idea of being something different to what you actually are, but the likelihood is your customers will see right through you. A good, solid brand is born from truth. Try to make your core brand about ‘the why’ – the theory, passion or inspiration behind why you started this business in the first place. Essentially, why you do what you do. But this will take guts, brains, vulnerability and risk-taking.

Change always holds opportunity.

Don’t forget to also think about ‘how’ and ‘what’ it is that you are sharing with others – be it a product, a skill or a service. It’s these simple truths that customers will understand and relate to.

Take some time to identify your target market too. Be brave and get under the skin of your customers to find out what makes them tick. Having a thorough knowledge of their needs and wants, and understanding what inspires them into seeking your products and services, can help you shape a brand that your customer base can really trust and connect to.

And that is what you want - a brand that can fire up a feeling in a person. One that develops an emotional connection within your customers, because it’s this emotional connection that will help build loyalty. Your brand needs to be able to evoke a good feeling in your customers so that they enjoy each experience or interaction with your business and essentially find themselves wanting to work with, or buy from, only you. Whether it’s the honest story of how your business came about, or the ideals that you set your business goals against, having an authentic message at the base of your branding will help do just that.

An authentic, purpose-driven brand core will help you as you spread your brand message. It can assist you as you create new and engaging ways for your customers to interact with you. If people can identify with your brand at a base level they will feel more like they are joining your cause, as such, rather than just buying something from you.

As we mentioned before, some brands do this better than others. A few well-known ones of course, are travel experts Expedia. Their brand is built around their belief that travel is an emotional and transformational experience that everyone should share. They exist to help each of their customers regain their spirit of adventure and find the travel experience they are seeking.

Hahn Super Dry is another brand who put big thinking and authenticity at the heart of their business. They admit themselves that they produce beer for the sheer love of it and don’t always stick to the norms when it comes to brewing, in their quest to give customers the very best taste and experience.

Brand giant, Samsung, simply believe that every moment is an opportunity to make life more interesting – and their innovative products help users have the courage to do just that. They aim to make the customers’ life better by exploring what it possible.

And of course, let’s not forget Lego – perhaps the king of toys for young and old. They look past the fact that they sell small blocks of plastic and instead share their belief in the endless possibility of human potential. Their products and offerings exist to inspire and develop the brainiac builders of tomorrow.

Yes, these examples are all big companies known around the world, but actually their size doesn’t matter. What does matter, is that there really is no excuse to play it safe with a lousy brand– because every brand can, and should lead with vision, make a difference and inspire positivity in the consumers of today.

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he consumers of today, just like Dorothy, have had enough of the brash craziness of Munchkin Land and are looking for more human, heart centred brands that resonate with their own quest for a purpose-led life.

Be a part of that. After all, if we lead with BRAINS, COURAGE and LOVE, we can indeed create a better world.

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“A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

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