Falling in Love with Brands
I’ve always believed in the saying “Legacy lives on”. Being a Bengali, the best example is possibly Tagore. What he left behind is as much a part of our lives today as was during his lifetime. Quite unknowingly, we imbibe and embrace Tagore in every shade of our emotions, our journey in life.
8th September 2022 was historic, having marked the end an era of the longest reign in British monarchy. A woman stepping into a mammoth position at 25, standing witness to a staggering number of wars, changing Heads of State, atrocities…the list is endless. Queen Elizabeth II shall stand forever for steadfast leadership, endurance against odds, perseverance, strong beliefs.
A completely different genre of a human brand and you have Adolf Hitler. Hated by most and held in complete awe by many in his land. Standing for rights he strongly believed in, working to establish his cause with tireless effort and evoking endless number of analysis and secrets to his life memoirs. A brand, who inspired awe, fear, gruesome memories, yet to many, he represented strong leadership.
The greatest motivation we get from life are our heroes. We do not call them brands, yet they do inspire us, motivate us, propel us to become better versions of ourselves. A successful brand is an entity one builds, develops, nurtures and over times this creates a lasting impression in our minds. This eventually leads to trust, that invaluable bond which remains over time. The best brands evoke emotions, they communicate stories we want to fall in love with.
Which are few of the world’s best brand stories? And what do they communicate?
Apple=Power: Apple packs in more power to their brand than we Apple users might wish to agree. They overprice their products on the pretext of technology. While we cannot deny the tech of Apple ever, we sure are always in a mood to buy, while in the same breath complaining “the price is way too much!” Apples makes us complain about their steep price, Apple makes us rush to the store to pick their latest baby! Apple keeps us hooked to the Apple family and makes us their loyal members. So if this isn’t brand power, what is!
Spotify=Emotion: When a music brand seeps into our hearts, understands our emotions and plays us the genre of music we wish to listen to by gauging our mood, we get glued to this brand only naturally. Spotify has brought in a revolution by using the power of technology, but has won our hearts by capturing our emotions just right. And that’s a unique advantage, is it not!
Amazon=Need: Just like Xerox/Photocopy, Cadbury/Chocolate were and perhaps still are, used interchangeably, the same to a large extent goes for Amazon. For anything, from a plastic tiffin box to fine home décor to expensive gifts, we “amazon” our search. Indian consumers even go on to define the availability of a brand by starting with “but it’s not available on Amazon”. Amazon has able competition lined up, yet by sheer need and habit of usage, Amazon is our first choice. So here’s a brand who has us bound by way of habit. And that’s a big task!
The list of brands who have captured us nice and firm, are plenty. And of course, the list of men and women who have continued to inspire and motivate us have been in abundance. As brand custodians, perhaps we might like to take a lesson or two from our favourite leaders, heroes, authors, singers…take a leaf from their journey and understand better how to make our brands last longer.
Gargee Ghose
Brand Building & Digital Content Specialist. Passionate about pets and wildlife.