There are several big brands who out of their size have neglected the art of emotionally satisfying their customers. Every customer has emotions. They want to be loved or cared for. They are looking for that outfit or brand that says, “Thank you for coming” I hope we satisfied you” Please let us know about how you feel about our product” on and on like that.
If you visit a big or a known store, hardly would they ask you how you feel. They don’t care whether you call again or not. They don’t bother if the sales guy or the front desk personnel attended to you well or not. This is where they miss it. Guess what? Branding is not just about being creative. It's goes beyond what comes out from the creative department of your ad agency. It's about that warm, fuzzy feeling your customer gets when he or she sees your product display.
It's more about your customer service and how the salespeople greet your customers even when they're having a bad day. It's about how your company is portrayed in the media. It's about how fast your product is shipped or delivered and how the package looks sitting at home on your shelf. In short, branding is about building an embracing culture that your client finds irresistible at every contact with your people, product or service.
One of the most amazing branding stories of recent years has been that of Amazon.com. Amazon.com has done an exemplary job of creating one of the world's strongest brands in record time. How did they achieve this? By recognizing what their real business is. As stated clearly by CEO Jeff Bezos: "We're not in the book business or the music business. We're in the customer service business."
Yes! That is BRANDING. It’s about an experience that your client lives with after a first call or contact. Amazon.com's highly effective brand positioning was built on the conviction that even though web shoppers want the ease and convenience of doing business on-line, they also want personalized customer service. Based on this fundamental insight, Amazon.com goes to tremendous lengths to make sure that the subjective, online shopping experience supports its brand positioning.
To be continued.
