06 Jun Why brands should remove the gloss
When we go to a wedding, the races or a nightclub we get dressed up. We want to look our best. For our self esteem, for the respect of others, and for the photographs. In fact, it’s largely for the photographs. It’s because we care what people think, we worry about not fitting into society’s idea of ‘what’s normal’, we want to look our best. Then we drink too much and let the guard down and someone takes a photo of us with our pants down, smudged lipstick or dancing like crazy on the dance floor! Ooops. Busted. Someone saw the real you.
We treat brands in the same way. We dress them up like they’re off to the races all the time. We spend months positioning them, designing them, crafting the perfect tagline. We invest enormous amounts of effort ensuring our brand looks perfect all the time, projecting an image of what we think people want. But what we are really doing is drawing a veil of unattainable gloss over every consumer touch point.
We worry what people would think if they saw the real people or operations behind the scenes. However, the 80’s era of brands on a pedestal is over; people don’t want perfect all the time anymore. Nowadays, people want to see behind the scenes, they want to know what your purpose is; what drives your business and why they should subscribe to your point of view.
Today it’s more about how you connect than what you project.
Authenticity and realism are grossly overused words in the modern marketing community, but they capture the point. Brands like Dove, Bunnings, Domino’s and Coopers have all created communication infrastructures which actually reflect their purpose and have witnessed sustained business growth as a result.
Staff making realistic promises, content that adds real value, advertising that reflects the actual experience, transparency on your operations and honest social media responses written by staff (not agencies), are just some of the ways marketers can ensure their brands connect on an authentic, human level with people.
So, take the gloss off, pull back the veil, remove the mask and open your doors to a world which wants to connect with the real you.