Remember as a child when mom told a story at bed time? She would tuck you in tight under the covers, lie at the bottom of the bed and tell a story full of wizards and princesses. You felt safe, taken care of, and loved. She gave you the tools to dream of a make believe world where you had no fear.
Image from here.
Mom had a powerful influence on our lives, just as brands do. Branding is about telling a story, about ingraining that story into every communication touchpoint online and off. Online, brands have an opportunity to reach audiences for a captivated period. Brands can make consumers feel the same way a child feels towards his mom- but through customer service and CRM programs instead of hugs and bed time stories. Just as mom personalized the story for our reading level and interests in fictional characters, companies should personalize their communication to their consumer backed by a long term strategy.
Sometimes just telling a story isn’t enough. Take a look at the Armani Jeans web site, which allows users to become a part of an interactive coed group pickup basketball game in the street. In certain sections of the movie the user can direct where the game goes in the neighborhood and if he wants to see the clothes on the basketball playing models.
The experience gives customers a immersion experience, there is little personalization. Armani’s audience is hip, young, urban twenty-somethings with disposable income. The basketball in the street story, while it puts the clothes in context, adds little to the value of Armani as a brand. The Armani site is missing is the personalization of the story and that the consumer, especially in this tech-saavy demographic, is truly the run of the show. A flashy online experience doesn’t always translate into brand equity.
A clothing brand and store that is doing it right is TopShop. With only one store in the US but several around the world, TopShop offers video and podcasts, along with a consultation with a personal shopper in their New York location. While Armani Jeans and TopShop are in different “genres” of fashion, the same lesson rings clear: relate to your consumer on a personal level.
Just like your mom.
-Carla
Filed under: Uncategorized
