Forget 'branding' and 'positioning.' Once you understand customer behavior, everything else falls into place.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The way customers relate to brands and how profit is generated has changed so dramatically almost every professional is being challenged to reconsider what they do in order to stay relevant.
Customers don't just want to shop: they want to feel that the brand understands them.
A frustration I have is that a lot of people increasingly seem to equate an advertising business model with somehow being out of alignment with your customers. I think it's the most ridiculous concept.
A lot of my branding has come from stubbornness - I knew what I liked. I knew what I wanted to do.
Going forward, we are mindful of the challenges we face in the competitive retail landscape, but we have demonstrated that our concept of building compelling brands that focus on the customers' lifestyles can produce superior results. We will not waver from that concept.
So I think instead of focusing on the competition, focus on the customer.
When a company owns one precise thought in the consumer's mind, it sets the context for everything and there should be no distinction between brand, product, service and experience.
As a brand marketer, I'm a big believer in 'branding the customer experience,' not just selling the service.
Positioning the brand and regaining trust are all smart things for us to do and those are the litmus tests for any decisions we make.
Ensure your employees understand what your brand stands for so they can be your first line of word-of-mouth advertising.