Today we discuss love.
First let me share a sad love story. While this may be hard to believe, when I was a freshman in college, I was a bit, ummm, questionable when it came to being cool. I was funny, had a “great personality”, but was far from ever being called a stud. But I thought I had enough qualities that I would make a great boyfriend.
I was dating a girl over whom I was definitely “ga-ga”.
After having dated for a few months, one Friday night, I took her to a campus
showing of the Redford – Streisand film, “The Way We Were”. Having seen the
film before, I thought this was to be a perfect situation for me. I’d have my
arm around her, the movie would make her cry, and we’d look into one another’s
eyes, and it would result in “make-out city”! How could the plan not work?
Well, we watched the film, she did cry, but she didn’t end up in my arms. Instead, as the movie ended, she told me that she was tired, and would like to go back to her dorm room. A few minutes later, after a quick peck on the cheek, I left her so she could get some rest, and I went off to the bars to find some friends.
You’re on the edge of your seat, aren’t you? 90 minutes later, I’m sitting in a bar, having a beer, and in comes my “girlfriend” with another guy. She wasn’t tired, she had another date! I was mortified, she was embarrassed, and the other guy was simply a jerk!
When I confronted her the next day, and asked her why, she simply offered this up as an explanation; “Joel, I like you a lot, but I don’t love you. I think you’re great, but I just don’t see ever loving you.”
Crushing! And you can see I have gotten over it (so what if I remember it like it was yesterday.)
Why share this sad, gut-wrenching story? Simple! It is to reemphasize why it is so important to get people to love your brand, not just “like” your brand a lot. Whether you are selling a product, a service, or simply selling yourself, it is not enough to have people like what it is you are marketing. To create brand evangelists, to develop brand ambassadors, the consumer has to fall deeply in love with your brand, and they need to be willing to commit to having the brand in their life.
This concept of building brands that people love is covered greatly in the book, Lovemarks by Kevin Roberts. Those of you who have heard me speak know that I love this book, and quote it often. I highly recommend that you read it a few times to get the most from it. But the concept is simple; as Roberts so eloquently states, Trademarks are owned by the companies, Lovemarks are owned by the consumers. If people love your brand, they will take ownership in the brand itself, and ultimately the success of the brand.
It is all about LOVE! Don’t simply try and get people to like the brand, always work towards getting them to LOVE your brand. You don’t want them saying they are tired, and then searching for a different brand, as my Friday night college date did.
Okay, I know that you want to know the outcome of the love story. Well, she ended up marrying the guy from that night, but sadly it didn’t work out for them. I, on the other hand got lucky, married a wonderful person named Heidi, who loves brand Joel, and it will be 19 years of brand loyalty this September (even though the brand needs some “new and improved” features).
I’m a real romantic, aren’t I?
When you get the chance, do a brand love-audit. Whatever your brand, whether it is a product, corporate brand, or simply yourself, sit down and take some time to evaluate why people should love your brand, and if they don’t, what needs to change about the brand to get people to emote love.
Always ask yourself this question; “if I were to see my brand for the first time, would I fall in love?”
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