How are people perceiving your brand?

Strong Brands: Why They Matter To Your Company

Jun 1, 2012
Marketing Strategy

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Strong Brands: Why They Matter To Your Company

Do brands matter to you? Of course they do! But the right brands really matter. And if the brand has a consistent and relevant brand promise, there can be a great long-term relationship (and positive results) for everyone involved.

 

Driving on the freeway today, I noticed a big bus trying to get over into my lane. I had two options:

 

  • Speed up,  frustrate the driver and cut two seconds off my arrival time.  Tempting.
  • Slow down, let the driver move in and allow them to get safely where they need to go.

 

And I took the road less traveled by.  I let the driver over.

 

Now you might say that you always do that.  That it is just common courtesy.  Agreed.

 

But why did I so quickly decide to do so?

 

In my case, it was due to a relationship. And due to quick and positive brand recognition.  The bus was an OCTA (Orange County Transportation Authority) bus. And when I recognized the name, something changed.

 

Instead of seeing a bus (hindrance), I saw a person (a personality) I know here in town who happens to work for them (a well known and smart social media/PR expert).  Meet Ted Nguyen.  It is because of Ted that I had a positive reaction to that bus.

 

Ted does a great job of delivering a strong brand and brand personality for OCTA.  So much that anyone who meets Ted probably leaves with a sense of energy and a positive impression of his company.

 

Want another example?

 

A few months ago I took a complaint (of sorts) to Twitter.  I let the people @Crest (toothpaste, etc) know that one off their products wasn’t working quite right.  Within a few minutes I had a tweet back with a very friendly solution. They reacted right.

 

And now I react differently when something from Crest isn’t perfect. I am more patient.  More trusting and more loyal.

 

So what does a strong brand do?

 

It makes your users, consumers or customers more flexible, happier and more willing to be patient if things aren’t perfect. And that probably means fewer support calls, less complaints and more sales.

 

Oh, and more profit.

 

So who is representing your company? And what impression are they making?

About the Author:

Tim Tyrell-Smith focuses on marketing, brand development and business strategy for emerging and established organizations. A veteran executive in consumer marketing, Tim is also available as a professional speaker on marketing, branding and the purposeful use of social networking. Tim started his marketing career with Nestle USA and has since worked in product management on premium brands including Nestle Quik, Tree Top Apple Juice, Mauna Loa Macadamias and Meguiar’s Car Wax. He was most recently Vice President of Marketing for a private equity owned food company in Southern California. He lives with his wife and three kids in Mission Viejo, California.

Tim Tyrell-Smith – who has written posts on Fix, Build And Drive™.

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Comments (3):

  1. Reply
    Ted Nguyen said:
    June 2, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    Tim,

    Thank you for the kind comments you shared about OCTA as a strong positive brand because of its people. And I’m so glad to come to know you as brand ambassador for quality and service. In the end, our brand isn’t just our logo or slogan, but the people living and enhancing the brand!

    • Reply
      Tim Tyrell-Smith replied:
      June 2, 2012 at 11:24 pm

      You are welcome, Ted. Always nice to write about a positive example close to home. :-)

  2. Reply
    Why Stronger Brands matter to Your Company | brilliant. said:
    October 2, 2012 at 8:07 am

    [...] This post originally appeared on Fix Build and Drive… [...]

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