This is Where Executives' and Consumers' Perceptions Clash. Tips for Creating an Impactful and Recognised Brand.

"80% of executives believe their brand understands consumer emotions." (Source: Blogging Lift)

... now on the other hand...

"A mere 15% of consumers say that brands have a good ability to form emotional bonds with them." (Source: Blogging Lift)

Okay, are you seeing what I'm seeing? There's a clash of perceptions between executives and consumers.

The questions we are aiming to answer and create more clarity for this time are:

• How important are emotions in branding?

• How can emotional bonds be formed with consumers via branding?

• How can executives create strong and impactful brands?

• How can brands create customer loyalty?

• How can brands create strong and sustainable bonds with their fans, audiences, and consumers worldwide?

Let's dive into tips for creating an impactful and recognised brand.

I believe we are all very experienced when it comes to being a consumer, more so than being an executive. So let's jump into the consumer's shoes for a moment: 

♦️ As consumers, we tend to choose things based on how well they connect to our needs, whether that be emotional, material, spiritual, you name it.

♦️ Emotions are especially important because they back everything we do in life. There is no interaction that would not be accompanied by a specific set of emotions. 

♦️ So it makes a whole lot of sense that when it comes to branding and marketing, a lot of it has to do with speaking to consumers' emotions. And if we put people and our human nature out of the equation, well, we end up losing connection, loyalty, and after all, sales.

♦️ And since we are here from a perspective of a consumer, do a little self-check now: When you look into brands, when you are looking for something that will satisfy a certain need - what is it that you look for? How do you connect to personal or corporate brands? What's the key factor? 

♦️ And to answer a part of that for you: it's a sense of CONNECTION, a sense of belonging, a sense of being on the same "wavelength",...

So if you ask me, based on the below statistic, who would I choose to listen to for feedback? I would definitely stick with what consumers say. 

They are the true navigator and a reflector of how well our tactics as a business owner do. 

If the consumers resonate with what a company does, the numbers will do the talking, and so will the people. 

In this day and age, it's very easy to get high sales and spikes in click-through rates and following. BUT!!!

My question is - are those spikes QUALITY, or QUANTITY only?

🔴 QUALITY will bring customer loyalty, word of mouth, deep passion for the brand, deep connection. It's built in the long term, over time. You've got to take care of the brand, the strategy, the business, and people.

🔴 QUANTITY will bring in big spikes based on algorithmic ad punches, and those spikes in numbers (following, sales, clicks,...) are not necessarily resulting in long-term customer loyalty, brand success, and equity. They feel "empty" or can quickly become inactive. Have you seen social media profiles before that have enormous amounts of followers, yet no one really talks about them, and their engagement feels a little off, so it all gets a sense of "fake-ness"? 

🔴 SOLUTION: First, focus on building a QUALITY foundation, understanding the consumers, your brand, and the mechanics of your business and brand. And then once you are very familiar and masterful with the QUALITY of it, focus on the QUANTITY. Because at that point, you have established a Strong Foundation upon which you can build for scale. And what's best, your QUANTITY will be earned in a QUALITY way. 

You will build for the long run, for impact, for loyalty, and for continual growth and expansion. 💪

Leave your comments and questions below, let me know your thoughts on the topic.

What are some of your branding challenges? What are your branding and business expansion stuck spots?

Till the next read,

Teja Jereb

Brand Developer and Strategist | Artist and Producer Manager

... with 14 years of creative and music industry experience, helping you reach your next level of success, growth, and expansion.