Relevance is the new battlefield for brands
Is it possible for a brand to become relevance-centred?
Just as people are searching for their own relevance and place in this world, organisations must consistently prove themselves to be relevant to their customers — one of the biggest challenges of today’s digital age.
The things that previously held relevance — community, religion, political alignment, etc. — have been massively undercut by globalisation, the growth of megacities and social media, among other things. These factors are making it much harder for us to understand, as individuals, why we are relevant and to whom we are relevant, and these questions are affecting people, groups and governments across the globe. Trump and Bolsonaro, Brexit, terrorism, the far right — the phenomena drastically changing and shaping our world today — are also largely a result of this quest for answers. We’re all unsure what our relevance is, and we’re all trying to find it.
Zygmunt Bauman describes postmodernity as “the exhilarating freedom to pursue anything, yet mind-boggling uncertainty as to what is worth pursuing and why one should pursue it.”
Which brings us to a question: Why should brands be relevance-centred?
Make others feel relevant
If a brand attempts to become relevance-centred, they will inevitably encounter a tension between that which is the core of the brand and to what degree it shifts to accommodate its customers and make us feel more relevant.
Brands will have to become more humane and not only stay true to their core personality but know when/how to adapt when relating to people. This is similar to a push and pull that we, as people, encounter every day. To what degree do you stay true to yourself and your opinions, beliefs and behaviors, and to what degree you spend time listening, evolving and adapting?
To make others feel relevant, brands, like people, must learn to manage that tension. (For more on this topic, check out my piece on the tension at the heart of brands.)
Stand for something
Brands must stand for something and serve as beacons for people, inviting them to align with their value systems. They must create space for relevance.
Once people become align themselves with a brand, they will be able to co-share or co-shape a value system, and in that process, they will add their relevance to that of the brand and also feel more relevant in that process. The brands that embrace this process are those that make the most sense and appeal most to people in today’s climate.
Edelman’s Earned Brand research states that one in two people are belief-driven consumers. Meanwhile, 53% of consumers believe brands can do more to solve social ills than government and 46% of consumers believe brands have better ideas for solving our country’s problems than government.
While there is great potential for brands that try to become relevant it is difficult not to be worried about these results (or maybe the general comparison between brands and government). However, the takeaway is remains the same: successful brands are those that take a stand.
Take Patagonia, for example. How did Patagonia became fashion’s favourite outdoor brand? By focusing on good design and environmental advocacy. “We’re in business to save our home planet. Staying true to our core values during forty-plus years in business has helped us create a company we’re proud to run and work for. To stay in business for at least forty more, we must defend the place we all call home.”
Every brand must strengthen its core, which is what the brand itself stands for, as well as curate an ecosystem where people find a place where they can flourish and, in that process, feel more relevant. Patagonia has done just that , declaring its beliefs while simultaneously inviting its customers to join its mission and become part of something bigger.
Purpose brands + belief-driven consumers = a match made in heaven.
Brands must make a positive impact in people’s (everyday) life by lowering the barriers, simplifying the experience and not just designing for, but with, the users.
Edelman’s research states 67% of customers bought something from a brand for the first time because of the brand’s position on a controversial issue, while 65% Switched a brand because it stayed silent on an issue it had an obligation to address (ideas that are reminiscent of one of our 2018 Fjord Trends).
The brands that are succeeding are those that don’t start by connecting dots. They start with a vision. (For example, removing waste from the sea, like Sea2see.) They have a vision, not only for themselves but the world they want. Honesty, authenticity and the willingness to take a stand will become the differentiation factor for brands, which must focus on becoming relevant for people and making people feel relevant.
Two things to take away:
1. How a brand becomes relevant, and how it makes customers to feel relevant.
2. The tension between the core of the brand and the manifestations of the brand.
