Successful brands and why their customers love them

Whether it's because of its visual identity or via a specific ad campaign, the culture of your company — everything from the tone of voice to the way your brand communicates its own vision and personality — is so important.

Every company has a personality and, in our experience, it is that personality that ultimately determines not only how consumers perceive what you offer, but also how they compare you with your competitors.

Let's look into that a bit more, shall we?

What makes a brand successful?

It's really no coincidence that the most successful brands also happen to be the ones that nobody seems to shut up about. That's because these brands also tend to talk a lot about what they do or, even better, what they can help their customers achieve. Successful brands attract passionate customers. But what exactly do we mean buy a successful brand?

When we think about brands at Triggers, we think about a lot more than logos and names. In fact, sometimes we don't even think about a specific product or service on offer. Some people say that this to be the secret to building a successful brand (Forbes).

In fact, if you were to spend some time investigating some of the most successful commercial companies, you’ll probably find that they have a well-defined brand strategy. And a huge part of your brand strategy should be about positioning your brand in order to create a meaningful connection with your customers.

What if your brand had an enemy?

Here’s a question that we believe will help trigger a new way of thinking about a strategy. Hold on to your hats because it’s quite a provocative one: “What if you had an enemy?” It helps to think about someone or something that represents the exact opposite of what your brand believes in.

What do we mean by that, exactly? Well, as an example, let’s look at Nike’s ad campaign which marks the 30th anniversary of the brand's iconic "Just Do It" motto. We’ve all seen it; it’s one of the most famous ad campaigns ever! On September 3rd, 2018, Nike released a controversial ad featuring former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. The ex-NFL player made headlines after his decision, in 2016, to take a knee during the U.S. national anthem as way of protesting against racial prejudice. The Nike ad features a close-up on Kaepernick’s face with the tagline: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

What does your brand stand for?

In today’s social and political climate, many companies are building brand identities that not only stand out, they also stand for something. According to research, brands that take a stand on social issues are getting more and more positive reaction from millennials. Because of this, consumers are starting to make decisions based on the political and social position of the brand they’re buying from. With this recent campaign, Nike defied the convention and make a bold statement.

Defining your brand strategy

Our brand new Triggers Strategy Deck asks our usual 'what if...?' style questions to help you brainstorm ideas that help you understand your audience, your goals, and how you’re going to create long-term relationships with your customers and expand your company’s personality.

Some of these questions are likely to be the kind of questions that some of the world’s most successful brands asked themselves in one way or another when creating original campaigns and strategies.

As a strategist, defining your brand’s personality and addressing real customers concerns is a great way to build a business with impact. Engaging with customers in today’s digital landscape is even harder to do, but your values and intent doesn’t need to take a backseat. To craft ideas that can thrive in this fast-paced environment, strategists could benefit from asking 'what if...?' questions that reflect the value of today’s world.