Brand Culture — making you more than the sum of your parts
Brand Culture matters to more than just your employees
A big part of what we’ve been discussing recently has been: What we do? How it’s important? And why it’s relevant to the people?
We’ve been meeting up with some of our pals from the digital sector to talk about the internet of things, the way Google is changing search to make e-commerce websites ‘irrelevant’ and how businesses need to focus on SEO, CRO and their AdWords campaign.
The situation as it stands is basically this; Google have busted AdWords wide open by removing adverts from where they used to be, on the right-hand side, and using that space solely for Google Shop products. It’s fair to say panic might not be an overreaction from some businesses who have previously relied heavily on their traditional AdWords acharage.
The caveat to this latest evolution of Google is to remember that there are some really talented guys doing great SEO work and AdWords campaign management . But now, to get repeat buying — scrap that — initially buying, we have to ask: Why are people buying from you, not just why they’re aren’t?
For many products, it’s not enough to dismiss that “Pay Now” click as some sort of mechanical response to some well-placed UI based on some well-researched UX habits. I mean, Google just found me 10 of you, why do you matter? Who are you?
THE BIG QUESTION IS: What does it say about me if I choose your brand?
I’ve found myself using one specific example when trying to explain this point further. Last month TED — DREAM was, for the first time, broadcast to cinemas across the globe. I heard about it from a friend’s Facebook post with the comment: “This looks good, who fancies it?”
I did, so I dropped my friend a message to confirm: “I’ll go! Should I get us some tickets?” He replied with a surprising: “I’ve got a ticket, but I think its sold out.” Sold out? And sure enough it was. I wrote on the cinema’s wall how gutted I was. Later, they replied on the thread saying: “WOW, that sold out fast, sign up here to be added to the update list as we are adding more screens.”
Now, the Tyneside Cinema is known for putting on the more obscure, art-house, out-there films. They have a strong following of people who know this to be a place where everything goes, including blockbusters. Their screenings and events are attended by people you might expect to be more open and excited about anything outside of the mainstream that sparks discussion.
What I’m trying to say is: It’s a community of people who you’d expect to love TED.
Tyneside Cinema went on to sell-out three screens. I missed tickets for each one. An old colleague wanted to go and he too missed the boat. So, I looked if any of the other cinemas had tickets. Sure enough, Odeon at the Metro Centre had loads of seats but that was a little too far to travel. What about the Vue Cinema? It’s literally two more stops on the Metro. My friend checked and he landed us two tickets. Great, that’s lucky I thought. (This is still weeks before the viewing too by the way.)
Fast forward. The DREAM night arrives. We go to the cinema expecting queues and a minor furore…but there’s no one there. I mean, there were some people, maybe 10. Vue was showing TED on their big new screen and I start to think of those people on FB screaming that they couldn’t get tickets at Tyneside. People complaining they didn’t receive their message for being on the list explaining that they signed up for that reason, and so on and so forth.
There’s no real price point here and the Metro’s as convenient as can be. So where were all the people? They have Google? They could have came here to watch TED. The thing is, there’s obviously something about going to see TED Talks at the Tyneside Cinema that means MORE than just going to see TED Talks at any other cinema. I thought, maybe Vue’s a more Dirty Grandpa kind-of-a venue.
Clearly Tyneside Cinema has a brand culture that people want to be part of, or at least a certain group of people, and the rest who enjoy swimming around in the perceived-to-be edgier cultural slipstream of it all. In this case, going to see TED at Tyneside Cinema, was worth more than going to see TED at any other cinema.
I guess, in simpler terms, people want brands and their cultures to complement and boost their own brand as an individual; who they are, what they stand for, their passions…their idiosyncrasies.
While thinking on that if you are a business, ask yourself, which group does your brand culture resonate with most? How can you complement them and engage them more effectively?
