Branding is of significant importance to any business or brand. It puts them out there and enables them to reach out to their target audience in a way that drives sales and gets results. Ultimately, a brand will have values and these values are considered to be crucial to its success but do consumers really care about brand values?
Brands will often state that everything they do is for the consumer. How they are always there to listen and how they always strive to offer more. The promises are clear but how often do those values sound strangely familiar to the values of every other brand out there? So, where does this leave brands, their values and the needs of the consumer?
To highlight the importance of giving consumers the power you only have to look at Steve Jobs at Apple. He stated that “Marketing is about values” and the “Apple have to become clear about what they want consumers to know about them” and that “it is not about talking about speed and fees”.
Steve Jobs had the idea behind marketing completely right because he knew that it was not about explaining the core values of the Apple brand. For him, he knew that it was all about making consumers feel as though they were the ones who were driving change. Apple, as an example was at the forefront of a digital change and consumers wanted to be in the driving seat with them. For consumers, this meant that they were buying goods because of the way in which they felt that they were playing a part in change. Ultimately, they were in it for themselves and this is still the way it stands today.
The reality of the situation is that brands can talk about their values as much as they want, be it online using their social media or offline through printed materials like ultimatebanners. However, consumers are not particularly concerned with brand values because they are more concerned with the way in which the products or services that are on offer can enhance their lives.
So, when it comes to success, brands can have the most enchanting or captivating brand values but they count for nothing unless they identify exactly what consumers want and now to give it to them.
The emotions of a consumer compel them to make a certain decision and in the world of retail, this is particularly true. People want to feel good about themselves and the decisions they are making and this is exactly how brands can really drive success through the roof. People have aspirations, motivations and insecurities, yet making a purchase can change all that.
Brands really need to change their marketing tactics and their focus. It is no longer just about being the best brand with the best values. This no longer cuts it with consumers because ultimately, they are not convinced nor do they buy into their values because making that decision on where they purchase is all about their emotions. Therefore, brands have to pay attention to determining who the consumers are. Once they identify this, they need to understand what these consumers value and how this links in with their insecurities and their aspirations. If brands can show consumers that by making a purchase, they can solve their insecurities and meet their aspirations, then success will follow.
It is clear to see that consumers are driven by more than brand values. Of course, consumers still like to know that brands care but that is not where it ends. Brands have to understand the mindset of consumers and deliver a solution that resonates with them. The aim is to encourage them to feel as though your brand is adding value to their lives and before showing them that your brand values complement their own values. So, brands need to identify what consumers want and how to fulfill those specific desires.
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