Brand Persona defines Smart Marketing
Authenticity is one thing. Yet, mastering Brand Persona means everything.
“Brand Managers need to feel comfortable about losing control. Advertising and branding are no longer a one-way street…”
I’ve been following this certain blog for years to keep myself updated to the latest trends in Marketing. A renowned brand talks about ‘letting go of brand message on social media’.
Upon reading the entirety of its content, I found myself asking these questions:
Should brands really lose control? Are they keeping themselves receptive to VOC (Voice of Customers)? Are they listening?
Established brands should have known more, at all levels, that social mentions, brand perception, market research, product testing and market penetration, and building communities of like-minded individuals and supporters are all crucial to middle-to-long-term success. It is a never-ending journey of constant change.
Knowing that consumers dictate and further define brands these days is not new. Every Brand Managers know this for sure. Brands must not lose control but keep their ‘senses’ open to what the consumers’ want, need and demand. They are meant to be served.
Authenticity is one thing. Yet, mastering Brand Persona means everything.
In our current Marketing era, where all else exist online, authenticity covers a chunk of overall brand experience. On a better perspective, brands still possess their own USPs and must keep their guardianship and control. What brands need these days is to keep themselves open — to adapt and evolve.
Gone are the days of saying, “Find your niche”. Smart Marketing now dictates, “Find your micro niche”.
It is a totally different ball game. Not understanding your own market’s micro niche means failing to understand your own brand’s voice and persona.
Let’s look at these images.
Here’s Sarah. A 28-year old jet-setter who loves to travel the world. She sees beauty in simple pleasures of life. She’s into fashion. Sarah runs her own business, loves reading online news, and fond of watching suspense-thriller movies. She’s an achiever, independent and never fails to find her own adventures.
Here’s Jack. He is a family man. He trades stocks. Jack is a professor in one of the famous universities in Australia. He loves children and runs his own charitable institution in the country. He finds his own life fulfillment by helping the people in need and always sees beauty in the eyes of the underprivileged children. Jack loves reading books and listening to music.
In a nutshell, a brand may be serving two of these fictional consumers. But the brand persona should differ as it approaches each one of them. A brand must approach Sarah differently as it does with Jack. The brand still takes full control of its image, its voice and its full identity — yet, it should keep itself open to adapt and evolve according to what Sarah and Jack want, need and demand.
Brand Persona is not a simple task to fulfill. It entails a lot of hard work — a full spectrum of universal and specific understanding of the market niche it serves.
Brand Persona defines Smart Marketing.
For enquiries or advice on your Digital Marketing needs, shoot an email to freddie.lacorte@gmail.com or let’s stay connected on LinkedIn.
