Is Your Brand A Noun Or A Verb?
- Buckminster Fuller
Many brands feel like nouns.
They are simply static "things" that are devoid of feeling and meaning.
But then there are brands that are clearly verbs.
They are about action, moving forward and changing the status quo.
They help people create meaning through their engaging and generous actions and behavior.
They are evolutionary processes that help people advance, achieve more and find greater satisfaction.
As such, they become an "integral function" of the universe occupied by their customers, employees, partners, investors and so on.
Change the form of your brand.
Move from being a static noun to being a vibrant, engaging, moving and influential verb.
Beyond Identity: Achieving A Presence That Matters
A logo, a set of colors and a design look and feel are decided.
A brand guidelines PDF is published.
And, for many people, a brand has been established.
But for products and services to survive in today's world, much more needs to be done.
In this, the Age of Meaning, branded products and services need to go beyond establishing an identity and create a presence that truly matters.
Going beyond brand guidelines, they need to take on a presence-defining behavior that engages, enchants and gratifies people - by linking what the brand does to their hopes, dreams, aspirations, needs and interests.
Beyond the look and feel, the behavior is defined by the voice of the brand and the messages it sends; the functional ease of working with the brand; and the people, ideas and causes with which the brand associates.
This behavior adds a third dimension to the product or service.
It creates an aura and presence around the brand that is far deeper, meaningful and powerful than a mere identity.
This evolved approach to branding products and services not only creates a powerful magnet to draw people to the brand, but also serves as a wonderful glue that keeps all the people who work for the brand spirited, aligned and purposeful in their work.
Establish a way of being that matters for your branded products or service, and your business will thrive in the Age of Meaning.
The Meaninglessness Of Logos As Brands
A logo only has value when people associate something they value with it.
A logo alone does not convey meaning.
When a company, product or service has a meaningful reason for being and a meaningful way of being, people start to ascribe that meaning to the logo (and the company, product or service behind it).
A reason for being matters when it relates to the needs, beliefs, interests and aspirations of people, and promises to make their lives better and more gratifying.
A way of being matters when it creates positive feelings in every interaction; feelings that are driven by the look and feel of that moment, the tonality and messages of that moment, the functional ease of that moment and finally, the associations made to relevant ideas, people and causes in that moment.
As such, meaning goes beyond an intent to do good - it only becomes real when your attitudes and behavior prove your intent, demonstrate your intent and make your intent emotionally meaningful to people in every exchange you have with them.
Cartoon from www.gapingvoid.com
"Why?" Is A Good Question. "Why Is That Good?" Is A Better One
Seth Godin recently posted about the value of asking "why?".
He points out that "because I said so" is not a valid answer.
This reminded us of the question we're always asking our clients, "why is that good?"
Our question comes from the experience of hearing business people talk about their offerings using the superficial and meaningless mumbo-jumbo of jargon.
To help them get below the surface - and to uncover the meaning that lies beyond the jargon - we ask them repeatedly, "why is that good?".
For example,
"Why is it good that you've added a button?"
"Why is it good that that button lets people do X?"
"Now, why is that good?"
It's like peeling an onion, going down layer by layer to the core.
At the core lies the things that matter to people, what is relevant to them and what they find emotionally important.
In other words, the reasons why they'll think, care, do, and talk more about your business.
As you think about your business, products and services, think about what really lies at their core beyond the business-speak, technology and jargon.
Peel away until you reach what matters.
Ask, again and again, "Why is that good?"
Change Of Functionality Adds Meaning For Getty Images
Getty Images website users in the UK now see a more subtle, informative and personalized watermark when viewing images (bottom image).
The new watermark is simply more useful:
- It shows the link that takes you directly to that image's page, which is now richer in content.
- It credits the photographer, which is a great way for Getty to reach out to its contributors.
- It no longer stands as a dated and arrogant barrier between the image-seeking user and the images themselves.
Businesses that want to matter more to people will do well to think of ways to make dealing with their products and services easier, more friendly and more approachable.
Be useful. Share credit. Break down barriers.
Matter.
Read the original story and view a video about the transformation here.
When Businesses Truly Matter, Logos Don't Matter At All
The theme was how Virgin cleverly managed to convey the brand's values through workplace design, without using the "brand" as so many people think about it.
That's right.
Take a look, there's no logo proclaiming the "proud" owner.
Virgin has inspired us for years by their way of building meaningful bridges between their business units and their employees and customers.
We believe they are vanguards of an idea we'll be exploring much further on our blog:
Logos and messages need to be replaced with ways of being that truly matter to people.
Businesses are complex organizations with many people, gears, cogs and engines at work.
Logos and messages - the hallmarks of the dying trade of "branding" - are merely superficial layers of makeup applied to business.
Meaningful businesses, on the other hand, work to make every aspect of their business matter to people.
They have a reason - they state a purpose beyond profit, a "why" that matters.
They generate passion - through their actions they evoke an emotional aura that matters.
They command a presence - by embracing a way of being that matters.
They seek a meaningful position to occupy, and then readjust, realign and reinvent the very essence of their business:
They refine their look and feel across the entire experience (witness the Virgin photo above).
They tell genuine stories and keep their voice honest and open (the "un-marketing" approach).
They make dealing with their business easy, fast and intuitive (by examining each interaction).
They create links between their business and meaningful ideals, people and causes (becoming a part of the zeitgeist)
Business that matters isn't about logos and messages.
It's about a way of being that truly matters to people.
How A Meaningful Position Changes The Human Dynamic Of The Workplace
It starts with the story of an employee who, after two decades of service to a financial insitution, decided he couldn't take it any more:
“I felt like no one cared about me as a person there, and finally decided to extricate myself from the grind. I know many of you feel the same way now in your jobs…trapped and unappreciated.”
The article calls for significant changes in the intent, attitude and behavior of business leaders and makes the following observations and recommendations:
- What makes people happiest in their jobs is all profoundly personal. “Do I work for an organization whose mission and methods I respect?” “Does my boss authentically advocate for me?” “Is the work I do meaningful?” “Am I afforded sufficient variety in my day?” “Do I feel valued and appreciated for all the work that I do?”We know that all these matter more to people than their compensation--and workers generally don’t quit jobs when these basic needs are met. According to a worldwide Towers Watson study, the single highest driver of employee engagement is whether or not workers feel their managers are genuinely interested in their well-being. Today, only 40% of workers believe that.
- People only thrive when they feel recognized and appreciated. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, "Why Appreciation Matters So Much," Tony Schwartz reminds us that all employees need to be praised, honored, and routinely acknowledged for their efforts and achievements. Consequently, leaders must allow themselves to manage more from their hearts.Our brains are great at building strategies, managing capital, and analyzing data. But it’s the heart that connects us as human beings, and its what’s greatly lacking in American leadership today. This is what now must change.
- Your employees will stay if you tell them directly you need them, care about them, and sincerely plan to support them. Any time someone quits a job for a reason other than money, they’re leaving in hope that things will be better somewhere else. So, everyone who works for you must be made to feel that they matter. Plan one-on-one meetings and re-discover the dreams each person has at work. Tell people directly how valuable they are to you. To be successful, all your future behavior must demonstrate to your employees that their best career move is to remain working for you.
The value of defining a meaningful position for your brand
A meaningful position is a place between what your business needs and what people want as they strive to create new meaning in their lives.
Operating from this position, your brand is more accessible, approachable and likeable because it reaches out to people in an emotionally meaningful ways.
When a brand has a clear idea of the meaningful position it wants to hold in the hearts and minds of people, it is easier for the leadership to shift the "give and take" of key brand relationships.
Seeing their roles through the lens of meaning, business leaders see how their intent is to inspire a purpose beyond profit. They realize how their attitude toward employees can be made more welcoming, accepting and empathetic. They shift their behavior in ways that focus on creating a distinct set of positive emotions within the workplace.
From this meaningful position, the brand and its leaders, become far more personally relevant and emotionally important to employees.
This, in turn, positively influences the intent, attitude and behavior of employees (as well as customers, partners, suppliers... indeed, all the people vital to the brand's success).
Employees relate to the brand beyond the job title and compensation offered. They adopt positive, supportive and helpful attitudes toward the brand. They change their behavior by working with greater purpose, remaining loyal and recommending the brand to others.
Meaningful brands use this human dynamic to thrive.
Leaders of meaningful brands use this human dynamic to inspire, motivate and bond with employees.
How To Thrive Through A Truly "Valued" Value Proposition
The traditional value proposition is defined as:
Value = Benefits - Cost.
In other words, people buy from brands that deliver more for less.
In the past, when the focus has been on "faster, cheaper, bigger, now", it was enough to think only about the rational benefits your brand offered - and to build your value proposition from there.
Today there is a need to radically overhaul the definition of "benefits" when articulating value propositions.
In the age of meaning, a time when people are seeking ways to create new meaning in their lives, brands need to go beyond rational appeals and embrace the way they help people live better lives through their products, services and experiences.
A modern value proposition equation, therefore, is defined as:
Value = emotionally meaningful benefits - cost
Emotionally meaningful benefits provide a fresh and appealing look at how your brand could thrive in the hearts and minds of people.
To uncover the emotionally meaningful benefits of your brand, ask yourself these questions:
- How does my brand help people become smarter, wiser, fitter, closer together, more resiliant, more self-sufficient?
- How does my brand help them grow, achieve more and fulfil their human potential?
- What does my brand do to make the communities we serve better off?
- In what ways does my brand help make the world a safer, fairer, cleaner, more humane and more sustainable place?
Seeing your brand - and your value proposition - through the lens of emotional meaning is just the start.
A truly "valued" value proposition is written in approachable, human language that is easy for your employees to internalize.
The job of delivering emotionally meaningful benefits to people helps your employees create new meaning in their lives (through more purposeful, mindful and fulfilling work) as they help people create new meaning in their lives (through a brand that is dedicated to improving lives, communities, socieities and the planet).
It's a win-win-win strategy with more engaged employees, more gratified customers and a more powerful brand in the equation.
Bridging The Gap Between Technology Ideas And Funding
You've got the most amazing idea ever.
You've brought together a crack team to develop the app, service or product that's going to take over the world.
Now there's just that small matter of getting funding.
On your side of the table are people who understand technology - the masters of bits and bytes.
On the other side of the table are financial people - the masters of spreadsheets and datapoints.
In the middle sits your business case.
But it’s dry, technical and, quite frankly, barren of meaning.
It may ably turn technology into finance, but does it truly capture the power, allure and meaning of your solution?
Does it open eyes to new possibilities, make brains cells soar in wonder and prompt hearts to beat faster by showing just how personally relevant and emotionally important your solution is?
Is it helping to multiply the projected numbers by showing how your solution will help people live richer, easier, more gratifying, more stimulating or more worthwhile lives?
It could.
It should.
Meaning is the new currency.
We urge you to make your technology business case far more compelling, intriguing and valuable by seeking out the hidden meaning in what you do, and by bringing that power to the foreground as you seek funding.
All Together Now: "It's A Channel, Not A Strategy"
Once again we share the brilliant insights of Tom Fishbourne.
Tom illustrates the problem of being more focused on the channels of communication than on what your brand is trying to achieve in this world.
Hearing that everyone is posting to Facebook, sending tweets and "pinning" things on Pinterest naturally perks our attention, and suggests we will be missing out if our brand isn't "there".
But, honestly, there is no "there" there (sorry Oakland).
It is not enough to simply "be" in a space, be it digital, social or the latest hot app or site.
So, don't think of how "going digital" will help your brand...think of how your brand can make the digital space more useful, beneficial and meaningful to your customers, prospects, employees, partners, investors and communities.
Consider what's emotionally important about your brand and bring that to life in new ways in the digital wonderland.
Make your brand more personally relevant by helping all the people important to your brand be more productive, efficient, healthy, wiser, fitter, smarter... or whatever it is that works to make your brand feel more necessary, desired and treasured.
And finally, don't think about "campaigns" as much as establishing, nourishing and fostering a meaningful presence that works powerfully whenever people choose to access your brand digitally.
Of course, all this starts with having a clear idea of your brand's reason for being and by defining the ways your brand can be truly emotionally meaningful to people.
That's strategy.
