The following article explores the link between a brand and its public, dissecting the nature of this relationship and what it may involve.
Brands act as a kind of mediator between products and consumers. However, for a brand to be an effective intermediary, it must contain certain virtues:
Like a lover, a brand must have the capacity to seduce and the virtue to make itself memorable, distinguishable and classifiable as the ideal, only by establishing itself as such will the indicated consumer commit to his or her brand, returning again and again to the chosen brand, seeking to relive the experiences associated with that particular brand.
Moreover, the brand must have the ability to involve itself directly in the life of its beloved, that is to say, it must play whichever role necessary in order to establish itself within the intimate life of its consumer; how he or she lives, understands and imagines his or her existence. Only in this way can a brand create an authentic relationship.
Also, a brand must make itself seen and understood; it must be able to express itself well enough to evoke for the consumer that which it promises to be, enveloping the consumer with all the reasons why he or she should select the brand. These reasons should be concrete, drawing on the emotions and rational of the consumer and forming connections between itself and its public´s most intimate desires and fantasies.
For these reasons, if a brand wishes to achieve greatness it must act assertively, employing the following tactics:
. The brand must show and promote that which it has, all of its best virtues, so that these are rightfully valued.
. The brand must insinuate that which it is and that which it could be. The brand must be able to take the consumer to places only dreamed of, such as those places where one finds true love.
. The brands beauty must be verbalized, understood and transmitted, in this way, its popularity may reach its full potential
. The brand must be able to sustain the initial magic of the love affair, even once the curtain drops and the brand’s once mysterious box is opened to reveal its contents—the consumer must be able to experiment with the brand and find new ways to fall in love with it.
. Lastly, if one day the brand chooses to marry itself to one consumer, it must do so with great caution; the risk runs that such a sense of loyalty to one consumer may cause all the others to distance themselves from the brand.
Nevertheless, in order to achieve such aims, the challenge remains that the brand is limited to express itself uniquely through symbols—gestures and images that tell a story—a story that must move and gratify its beloved consumers, taking those to unforgettable places, moments and situations. The ideal being, that this brand love-potion will make the life of the bewitched consumer all the more beautiful.
© Sebastián Guerrini, 2011
