The Hindu Business Line : For most customers, your staff is the brand

BRANDS are the names that companies use on their products, right? No, brands are partners in the dating dance with customers, writes William J. McEwen in Married to the Brand from Gallup Press (http://gmj.gallup.com).

The book, which is the result of `60 years of research' into consumers' minds, finds that successful brands "offer a return to the customer, whether it's tangible or intangible, rational or emotional" every time he or she encounters the brand.

"Brands die not because they lack a unique look, but because they suffer a shortage of passionate consumer relationships," declares McEwen. For marketers, the goal, therefore, should be not just brand name awareness, but to establish a lasting connection between the consumer and the brand. Differentiation is easy; what's tough is to create `a unique brand experience.'

In 2004, companies in the US spent about $166 billion to advertise their brands; and the ad expenditure was $570 per capita. It is believed that brand investments yield high returns: $1.36. Though brands warrant a company's investment, McEwen points out that there can be payback from these investments only if consumers get a return on their investment.

"True brand greatness is reflected in the number of strong brand marriages, not just in the number of prospects who are aware of the brand or who may have been enticed into a single first-date experience." How about offering free trials and coupons to create a lasting brand? No use, says the author. "Coupons and discounts may prompt a first date, but on their own, they aren't a sufficient basis for an enduring marriage. Coupons are essentially bribes; they create bonds that last only until the next bribe is offered."

Brand is a promise that the company makes; and the promise has to be meaningful, and also be communicated. Three requirements that McEwen prescribes for brand promise are: "it must be credible, compelling and able to personally connect with consumers."

Gallup's research has found that a majority of prospects "simply don't believe - however loudly, frequently, or creatively the brand message has been conveyed - that brands can always be trusted to deliver on their promises." The `compelling' hurdle is tougher than credibility; "promises may be credible, but trivial." Connection happens when consumers can "see themselves as users - and proud, even delighted, customers."

To the four Ps - product, place, promotion, and price - the book adds a fifth: people. Who are they? Your staff, who represent the company's brand and interact with customers. "They're the people who take customer orders, handle problems, fulfil a request, process a checkout, or simply greet an arriving shopper. They live the brand and, in the eyes of many customers, they are the brand." So, put the most talented people-connectors into customer-facing roles, advises McEwen. "For companies selling services, people are the marriage makers."

Confidence and integrity are the two brand marriage vows the book lays down. These help you stay connected. If your brand name is what customers can always trust, and it always delivers on what it promises, you have won the confidence test. The key word is `always,' which means that the brand has to consistently deliver on its core performance pledge at every brand encounter. "Most companies regularly struggle with this, so it's often what differentiates the great from the merely good."

To gain the integrity trait, the brand has to be perceived as always finding "a way to come through, even when the going gets tough". This happens when customers are "firmly convinced that the company always keeps its part of the relationship bargain." Integrity doesn't imply that customers always expect `error-free performance.' Yet, "Errors and problems will be rare rather than frequent; and identified problems will be acknowledged, handled, and equitably resolved." The final message of the book is straight and simple: "After all, consumers make the choice to marry. Companies can court. They can propose. They can hope to merit marriages, but they can neither dictate dates nor require relationships."

Irresistible.

BookMark@TheHindu.co.in

D. Murali