Is your brand loved?

Love is in the air at Brand Vista…brand love! Years ago when we asked people, at the start of research groups or client workshops, which brands they loved, they regularly reeled off the most famous or funny ads of the day (Guinness, Tango and Dairy Milk often featured). Today though, more and more of the brands people tell us they love are those that deliver an inspiring, exciting and differentiating experience, time and time again. So, to celebrate St Valentine's Day, we thought we'd share a few stories about the brands that have sparked passion amongst our clients and consumers in the last couple of years. Enjoy the newsletter, and ask yourself as you read: 'Is my brand truly loved?'

Mutual Passion

We absolutely love working with Benenden Health, because we've never experienced such passionate brand advocates as the members of this healthcare mutual. When we ran conflict groups between members and non-members, the results were incredible. In the space of half an hour, the members became the best sales people the organisation had ever seen, convincing the non-members of the benefits of joining, and calming all fears through their complete commitment to and respect for the Benenden brand. This intense customer advocacy is only generated through years of consistent, single minded and on brand customer experience delivery.

What The Lady Loves

In a recent workshop, with front line staff of one of our clients, a girl in her early 20s described her love of River Island beautifully. She told us that River Island is her favourite brand because going into the store makes her feel that she's already out on her Saturday night. Wow! What an amazing experience River Island must be delivering, and what a great lesson for us all – focus on the customer benefit, rather than being obsessed by internal processes and issues.

Confident Consistency

During a Visioning session, one of our clients highlighted Bang & Olufsen as an example of a business that they aspired towards. He adored their confidence and consistency, and their refusal to wane to market demands for lower priced products. Their absolute faith in the quality and value of their audio systems highlights just how strongly they believe in the power of their brand, and their understanding of who they are and who they appeal to means they remain aspirational, and successful.

So, Brand Love. There's no definitive way of establishing it, but being 100% sure what you stand for, and the benefit that you offer your customers, isn't a bad place to start.