David Freemantle once said: Feelings have a critical role in the way customers are influenced. And the more feelings and emotions you create, the more attention to your brand. And the more influence it can have. Who are the Beatles? Not rocket science is it? I am a baby boomer and grew up under the influence of the Beatles Brand. It is not surprising then of the branding lessons learned from this influence.
Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.
Have you ever defined your favorite brands and questioned why? It is a key exercise we often use with our clients. It helps to evaluate what should be the heart of your company’s strong brand identity.
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We believe the heart of all killer brands is the promise they commit to delivering to their clients. No matter how clever or memorable their brand marketing, if they fail to deliver on that promise, they fail. And those promises represent what the brand stands for and their strong brand identity.
What do the Beatles and branding have in common?
You might be tempted to answer, nothing, but in fact, the Beatles were revolutionary, not only in the music industry but also in the way they utilized branding to improve their reach as rock stars.
As long as it’s positive, there is no such thing as too much attention for your brand. If you play your cards right, you can roll all of that great attention into growth for your company. Here are some of the best and most creative steps to get people to notice you and your brand.
Let’s examine the lessons the Beatles taught marketers about social media-based branding:
Who are the Beatles … live their story
Does your brand have a story? You know—a story that’s captivating and inspiring; has real meaning and comes from the heart of what you’re all about as a brand. It’s a story your customers believe in and they stand behind it through their behaviors and actions. The Beatles built many stories through their public years and lived many of them. They were great reputation builders.
Build a brand personality
A brand personality is a set of human characteristics that are attributed to the brand. It is definitely something to which the customer can relate. An effective brand will increase its brand equity by having very distinctive traits.
The truth is many companies fail to recognize the importance of creating brand experiences through brand personality. They bog down their online persona with boring corporate speak and industry jargon. Or, they blow it by not keeping the experience consistent, ultimately confusing customers or making them feel as if something is amiss with the company.
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Think about it – the Beatles brand experience was defined by their music, their album covers, their movies, and their interactions with the media. And they made the most of them to define their brand personality.
Define your brand by what you make happen
Your goal is to extend your unique selling positions beyond your products to influence perceptions of the brand.
The Beatles are a very distinct example. Their brand success centered on the achievable – the simple things – they knew would make a difference for their audience. They were different and their brand stands out because it represented those differences.
Simple. Attainable. Targeted. They made it happen.
Show emotions
Can you ever remember seeing the Beatles in the public without experiencing their emotion? I can’t. And the emotional influence was a great brand builder.
The Beatle facts … relentless innovation
The glue that bonded the Beatles was the group’s live performances. They didn’t worry about following musical trends. They created their own trends, which is what discontinuous change is all about.
The Beatles history … marketing strategy
The Beatles attracted audiences, sold albums and expanded their brand for years beyond their time together. What lessons can a rock group teach the rest of us about marketing?
Marketing is marketing, after all, and there is always something to be learned from the world’s best, even if their strategies and styles were most unique. And they completely eschewed mainstream music industry promotion and big advertising campaigns.
Who are the Beatles … cultivate raving fans
The Beatles started building their tribe of rabid fans early in their career. Many of the original followers are still awesome brand fans decades after they left the stage as a band. I would include myself in this group … how about you?
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The Beatles brand … be an experience
Not only did the Beatles significantly impact the music industry, but they also brought to their audience an entire experience. Their followers began not only copying the group’s attitude toward music but also mimicked their hair, clothing, and virtually everything else about the group.
The bottom line
Remarkable isn’t always the same. Get in the habit of doing the “unsafe” thing every time you have the opportunity is the best way to see what’s working and what’s not.
The key to being remembered is being remarkable. Don’t let your brand take the back seat, stand out.
Markets and customers are constantly changing. Therefore a business must constantly adapt its branding to the changes in the marketplace.
And remember, brands are verbs … what they do matters more than what they say.
