Six not-so-secret steps to a strong brand

By Andrea Syverson - May 01, 2007

Have you gotten caught up in “The Secret”? The buzz has been spectacular. More than 3.7 million books have been printed and more than 1.5 million DVDs have been sold. “The Secret,” as explained by Rhonda Byrne, its author and producer, is all about the law of attraction: Like attracts like. No doubt a savvy marketer and a very rich woman, Byrne makes it seem so simple. Ask, believe, receive and … voila! Everything is wonderful. There is little mention of discipline and action.

I don’t buy it. Sorry Rhonda. There are many detractors, and even books that were rushed to market to expose “The Secret.” There also is a book coming out this summer called “The Secret of The Secret.” All of this makes me mad. Such nonsense, such pyschobabble, such distraction. I don’t believe there are any secrets or shortcuts—in life or in branding.

I make the business correlation because I see it happening all the time. Companies think there is “a secret” to a competitor’s success, a formula they just need to master and then they, too, will be basking in the limelight. It’s simply untrue. Great brands, brands that really “get” their customers, work very hard—all the time. They are not easily distracted, they don’t take shortcuts, and they don’t look for quick fixes. They care about their employees and their customers; they care about the little things, and they prioritize the big things. They are true to themselves and to their promises. This isn’t glamorous, but it’s what sets the great brands apart.

Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi and author of “The Lovemarks Effect: Winning in the Consumer Revolution,” speaks of attraction as well. He believes we’ve moved from an attention economy to an attraction economy. Roberts writes: “In the Attraction Economy, the consumer must be at the center. Never has being in tune with consumers been so important. The ear is one of the key marketing tools of this new century. That, and the understanding that people are attracted not by what they want, so much as by who they are.”

So, keeping this in mind, how do great brands remain great? Here are a few necessary steps: 

Brand Discipline #1: Know Your Position 

Take a look at Office Depot, Office Max and Staples. Go to their Web sites, visit their stores, and peruse their catalogs. All three are resources for office

supplies, furniture and technology. Office Depot promotes “taking care of business” in its tagline. Staples says “that was easy.” Office Max stands alone in its name. Try to figure out each brand’s position—the points of differentiation from one another. What would make a customer, with the three options, pick one over the others for his business? Where are each brand’s channel strengths? How clear is this to the consumer? Remember, many competitors are sharing your customers’ “mind space.” You need a unique and clear position that breaks out of the competitive clutter and resonates with your customers’ needs.

Now, take a look at your brand. Who are your top three competitors? Try to get underneath their brand strategies … their strengths and weaknesses. Evaluate your brand within this competitive framework. Do you have a clear position? Are you making it easy for your customers to “get” you? Spend time looking at all your brand touch points through both a competitive and a customer lens. Be sure your positioning is crystal clear.

Brand Discipline #2: Know Your Customers’ Position

As Roberts’ mentions, the key to maintaining and growing your brand position is to thoroughly understand who your customers are. This is more than general demographic information. This means paying attention. This is holistic knowledge of the details of your customers’ lives. Anthropologie, the quirky fashion and home décor company, makes it a priority to know its 30- to 45-year-old suburbanite customers intimately. It knows where they’ve just traveled and where they’re headed. It knows what they’re reading and what rooms they’re redecorating. It is, as its name suggests, a modern day “anthropologist” uncovering its customers’ characteristics and connecting the dots of their lives to bring them products that “make life inspiring.”

What is it you know for sure about your customers’ lives? What would you like to know? How are you going to find out? Who will keep track and synthesize this information so that it is at the core of all of your brand shaping decisions?

Brand Discipline #3: Share Your Position

Are your employees up to speed on the two above mentioned brand disciplines? Could they enthusiastically give the “elevator” pitch about your brand and your customers to anyone they meet? Employees are the face, the voice and the “customer experience” of your brand.  Be sure you’ve shared your intended brand position and your insights about your customers with these very important aspects of that experience. Many companies make it a brand discipline to share products with their employees in order for them to have the intended customer experience.  For example, Cabela’s wants its employees to wear and use its outdoor gear. This sharing of brand enthusiasm works both ways. Coldwater Creek invites its customers to become employees when a new location in their neighborhood opens up.

Brand Discipline #4: Stay Focused on Your Position

It happens all the time. Big and little companies lose their way. Home Depot lost market share to Lowe’s when it started letting customer service slip. Blockbuster lost a significant part of its audience to the convenience offered by Netflix. Gap lost its way as its merchandise lost its positioning. All these companies are now fighting back aggressively to regain their brand strength. This might not have happened if they had remained focused on the relevancy of their brand position. Don’t take your brand strengths for granted. Don’t take your competitors’ weaknesses for granted. Stay alert. Stay curious. What is your brand’s growing edge? 

Brand Discipline #5: Leverage Your Position

L.L. Bean does a grand job of leveraging its brand position across all touch points. As “outdoor specialists since 1912,” it’s earned its brand reputation one detail at a time. Whether brand reinforcement comes by way of Maine-heritage product names (e.g., Kennebunkport Clogs, Adirondack Straight Leg Jeans, Casco Bay Cushions); or its honest, to-the-point, five-word guarantee (“Guaranteed. You Have Our Word.); or its exceptional, real-person customer service, L.L. Bean matches its brand promises to its actions. Every connection, every detail, is a chance to “connect people outdoors.”

Office Max recently redesigned its stores to make them more customer-centric and to make shopping for supplies more enjoyable. It “gets” how busy its customers are and, according to Chain Store Age magazine, transformed the “traditional warehouse-styled office supplies model into a colorful, engaging environment,” complete with a convenient Office Max Café. And, just recently, it partnered with The Sharper Image to offer branded office furniture and accessories. Both of these strategic brand initiatives help it leverage its position in a crowded competitive environment.

Look at your brand heritage. How good is your story? Are you leveraging it fully? This is an area I see many companies underutilize. Mine your brand’s rich background. 

Brand Discipline #6: Delight and Reward Those Customers Who Support Your Position 

Please say “thank you” to your customers. Not an obligatory, mumbled “thank you for shopping with us today,” but a heartfelt, sincere appreciation that they have chosen to do business with you. Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart with this belief: “There is only one boss …THE CUSTOMER. She can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending her money somewhere else.”  

Each summer, Talbots, a classic clothing multichannel company, sends me a birthday card from its president with a coupon of appreciation for my business as a “birthday gift” to me. It’s the little things that great brands do that earn them customer loyalty. How are your brand manners? 

So, as you can see, it’s no secret. Great brands never rest. They are disciplined, focused and action-oriented. There is no wishful thinking! 

Andrea Syverson is president of IER Partners, a strategic branding and merchandising consultancy based in Colorado. She may be reached at (719) 495-2354 or asyverson@ierpartners.com. 

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