Radio Rock = Great Branding

I saw The Boat That Rocked the other day and I couldn't help but think, "Radio Rock is a great example of a brand living and believing in its purpose!" So, naturally, I wanted to blog about it!

Warning! I'm going to disclose the ending of the movie, so if you want to see it and you don't want to know what happens - I suggest you go see the movie then come back to More Than A Logo and read this post ;). However, if you don't mind either way, feel free to continue on...

Essentially, Radio Rock is a pirate radio station who brings Britain rock music all day long, in a time when rock music was regulated by the government to be played, only, a few hours a day!

Radio Rock's brand purpose was to embrace and encourage people's love for rock music, no matter who stood in their way! They lived this purpose in every breath they took! The DJs they had on the ship to spin rock all day long worshiped the music and knew everything there was to know about rock - they embraced living like a real rocker (sex, drugs & rock n' roll).

Note: Images from IMDb.com

In order for Radio Rock to accomplish its purpose, it needed to hire people who were going to respect it's mission and fulfill it - after all, the staff are the people who bring the purpose to life!

Radio Rock's dedication to its mission - refusing to give in to the threats of the government and continue to give the people what they want - ROCK - was what gained it such a strong and loyal following!

The people shared values with the brand - they could connect with it on a deeper level. It wasn't just about the music - it was a movement! And its viewers felt a part of that. They were motivated by Radio Rock's purpose and felt by listening, they were contributing to that movement!

Great brands must motivate and connect with theirs customers beyond just the product or service! Make them feel a part of your purpose! This leads to extreme brand advocacy, because the customer feels tied to something great - they become personally indebted to the brand!

Dove Real Beauty did a great job of making their customers feel a part of a movement - they weren't just buying soap, they were connecting with a brand that wanted to see greater variations in female beauty... but I digress - back to Radio Rock:

So, this complete and utter devotion to the brand is seen at the end of the movie, when the boat is sinking, and the government has refused to send a rescue team - but who shall come to the rescue? Why those devoted fans, who would be devastated to see the enablers of the rock movement, which they've grown to love, sink to the bottom of the sea!

Note: Images from IMDb.com

It's like I've said before, your brand purpose must be something meaningful - something that will be truly missed if it were to ever disappear!

I think a lot of organizations can learn from Radio Rock and its devotion to its purpose!

Brand Stories Continued

Yesterday, I wrote a post about providing people with Brand Stories to make them feel special & unique for being associated with a particular brand.

And, today, I came across this fun presentation by Russell Davies, a well-known planner in the UK, called Playful. He refers to something similar - pretending! His presentation talks about how we buy products that allow us to pretend to be something/someone else - enticing an emotion based on a brand association.

For instance, he talks about watches:

Russell implies that it is the ability to pretend adds value to the products or services we buy. Which completely makes sense, as we, consumers, use brand association to communicate elements of our personality that exists or that we wish to create.

I believe brand stories, which I talked about yesterday, gives customers the background they need to be able to pretend - the right product creates the desired sensation for you to feel how you want, whether it be a pilot, action hero, glamourista, etc.

Feel free to check out Russell Davies Playful presentation here.

Another example, I forgot to mention yesterday, is Burberry's Art of the Trench campaign:

It has created a great way to give its customers brand stories, while enabling them to create their own brand story as well. It features the versatility of the trench through modern day images, along with giving consumers the history of this classic fashion piece through the decades!

In addition, to providing consumers with stories about the trench coat, it also gives them an opportunity to share their own story & photo about their trench coat! This is beneficial for 2 reasons:

1. It excites and engages customers because of the potential thrill of momentary fame, and the ability to express themselves!
2. It deepens the customer's relationship to the Burberry trench coat, because they have gone out of their way to put together a striking outfit with their coat and begin to think how special it is to them - making them more loyal to the Burberry trench!

Brand Stories

Note: Image from Trendwatching Status Stories

We are no longer jumping and jiving as a group in our matching khakis and cotton shirts. Rather, we are seeing an influx in the desire to be individuals - everything we purchase or associate ourselves with must communicate something about who we are or want to be! The brands we associate with must stand for something, so we can decide if it suits our individual style/personality!

We, as consumers, are more proud of our products/services that we purchase when they come with a unique story! Consumers are no longer interested in purchasing products/services, as they are the stories (aka bragging rights) that come with them.

Customers want to be able to connect with brands on a meaningful level - know something special about the brand that no one else knows or have experienced something truly memorable with that brand! These brand stories make our relationship with brands more significant because the product/service is no longer generic and meaningless, rather it's a one of a kind, personal experience, which, in turn, makes that product/service more valuable!

Brands need to provide customers with stories to share! These stories often come in the form of reasons to believe - initiatives that support and uphold the brand's purpose, yet they have enough 'wow factor' to excite customers and make them feel special and unique to have experienced!

There are 2 ways to empower your customers with brand stories:

1) Give them background on the brand/product/service:

For instance, I, recently, purchased a beautiful Marc Jacobs bag, and when I was buying it, Joy, the sales associate, told me this was the first time Marc has made a true red bag. Also, she mentioned that Marc Jacobs grew up with his wealthy grandmother in New York, and that is where a lot of the influence for his designs comes from.

This not only made me feel unique to have one of Marc Jacobs' first true red bags, but I also felt like I was learning insider information about the designers influences! So, you can only imagine how many times I've shared this story any time someone comments on my new bag, because it's not just a bag anymore - it's a special story!

2) Provide customers with a memorable experience:

For example, this past month, a Canadian credit union, Servus, started handing out $10 bills to people for its Feel Good Ripple initiative, which encourages people to make someone else feel good with that $10 bill!

This is a great initiative for 3 reasons: 1) the person Servus gives $10 to will remember its passion towards encouraging random acts of kindness within the community; 2) the receive of the random act of kindness will hear how Servus created this ripple effect & will associate the brand with how special they were made to feel; and 3) all of this works for the Servus brand as they are a member-owned, community-based financial institution, so it makes sense for them to take an interest in creating a feel good ripple within its community!

Any memorable experience, whether a great background story or engagement with the brand, creates a ripple effect! Customers will be proud of these stories and want to share them with friends and family - like I have done with my bag. It makes us feel unique and special to have learned something new or have experienced something memorable!

For the brand this means:

1. The creation of a stronger customer relationship
2. The spread of positive perceptions for the brand that correspond to its purpose

So, how are you going to give your customers powerful brand stories they will feel proud to share?

For fun - here is the 1998 Khaki Swing Commercial by GAP that I made reference to at the beginning of this post. Khaki Swing happens to be one of GAP's most successful & memorable ads, which, ironically, is also one of their cheapest campaigns - no superstars, just no name dancers having a good time!

Brand Purpose Meets Brand Relevance

Note: Image From Neutron LLC Steal This Idea

I love this diagram created by Marty Neumeier as it illustrates how an organization's brand impacts a community of stakeholders in a, kind of, perpetual domino effect.

So, in essence, the brand purpose motivates & focuses the efforts of the organization (management & employees in this diagram) - so then the organization, through branded initiatives, engages with customers stimulating trust & loyalty, which motivates investors because they see the demand for the brand. The investment, then, allows the organization to continue to pursue its brand purpose - perpetuating the cycle.

The key element I want to draw from this are the customers! Without them there would be no revenue and no way for the organization to continue what it has set out to accomplish!

A few weeks back, I was chatting with a colleague of mine, and he was saying that a brand's success cannot solely rely on brand purpose - there has to be something else! This got me thinking - I soon realized that I have forgotten to mention the importance of BRAND RELEVANCE! Your brand is only successful if you are able to satisfy an unmet need!

Before I delve into brand relevance, let's chat about the purpose of brand purpose!

Brand Purpose:

Is the reason you want your organization to exist long after you perish - because if it ever disappeared, it would no longer be able to provide the world with change, hope, etc. - This gives your brand greater value and meaning to customers (and maybe society as a whole).

In addition, brand purpose provides the organization with a guiding beacon. It helps give management & employees motivation to do amazing things - because they have a higher purpose and sense of pride in what they do!

This is all well and good - you can dream to change the world and make it a better place, but if you don't provide a benefit that is relevant to customers' needs and wants, you are not going to be able to draw in enough revenue to keep your doors open and continue to pursue you brand purpose!

A good example of this would be a fashion designer - the designer may have this incredible and elaborate collection & style in mind (brand purpose), but if no one can wear it in an environment beyond the runway (brand relevance), no one will buy from the collection, causing the designer's dream to never become fully realized!

So now there's brand relevance:

Essentially, this means that organization offers a brand promise that satisfies a customer's unmet need, and is relevant to their lifestyle, technology, etc.

People inevitably change over time, based on trends, technology, cultural shifts, etc. And because great brands often outlive their customers, they need to make sure their purpose adapts (without jeopardizing its core essence and reason for existing).

Your organization may begin to satisfy an unmet need (creating brand relevance), or it may begin because you have a dream to make the world better in some way (pursuing brand purpose), but in order to have longevity, and survive the ages, you must eventually acquire both brand purpose & brand relevance!

VW's The Fun Theory

Recently, I came across Volkswagen's 'The Fun Theory' program on Youtube. Essentially, this initiative is a contest to have people create fun ways to change behavior for the better. Here are some examples I came across on Youtube:

What I like about this program, is how VW is finding fun ways to change behavior, and through these videos you can see how they have worked! But what also makes this so great, is that it suits the VW brand!

VW is the people's car - so here they've found a way to help 'the people' by changing behavior for the betterment of 'the people' (i.e. becoming more active by taking the stairs - cleaning up the park by putting more trash in the bin). I think this is a great initiative that is completely on brand - fun and for the people!

What also makes this initiative great, is that it has brought its customers into the mix, in the form of a content, by asking them to create ways to change behavior with fun. This now creates a dialogue that engages customers on a more meaningful level - VW is not just talking about cars, but it's talking about doing good for people because it is the people's car!

This is ideal because customers want to associate themselves with brands they share values with, as I mentioned in Branding for a Seamless World. So, I believe, when customers are in the market to buy a car, they will be more likely to select the brand they feel has done something positive for them (or their environment or the greater population), so they will return the favor with a purchase. Or for those who already own a VW vehicle, it makes them feel proud of their brand association, which creates a deeper connection with existing customers stimulating loyalty and repeat purchase!

VW has created a great example demonstrating how your brand can lead to a deeper and more meaningful connection with customers to stimulate brand awareness and loyalty!