Thought Leadership - Brand as Relationship

The concept of brand is now being redefined from brand as an object, idea, and experience, to brand as a relationship.

Brand started off as an object to help in identification of ownership. The most suitable example would be cattle owners who would “brand” their cattle using a branding iron. This view puts brand as something applied to an object.

Brand then shifted from being applied to objects, to an idea. As defined in the book Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, brand is a “singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of a prospect.” In this way of looking, brand is seen as an idea that is managed.

The recent redefinition was brand as an experience. Instead of looking at brand as something that is managed over time, it is perceived as something that is delivered in the moment. In the book The End of Marketing as We Know It, Sergio Zyman says “A brand is essentially a container for a customer’s complete experience with the product or company.”

It is imperative for companies today to take a good look at their brands and consider redefining how they are observed, perceived and experienced. But just as important and as relevant as ever, is the new way of seeing brand; as a relationship.

Evolution of the Concept of Brand

In order for you to create better engagement, differentiation, and loyalty, it is vital to embrace this new concept by starting an initiative to define the respective roles and responsibilities of your company and your customer.

The default brand relationship is provider / consumer; we sell, you buy; we provide, you consume; a simple relationship that is one-directional and asymmetrical.

To implement the concept of brand as relationship, different kinds of relationships should be thought of, which involve roles that are more collaborative and reciprocal.

Let’s look at a few examples of how new companies redefined their relationship with their customers. Airbnb for example, who instead of highlighting on one-directional host / guest relationship of the hospitality industry, went for cultivating a neighbour-to-neighbour relationship on a global scale with their customers; a connection that is reciprocal, symmetrical and collaborative.

In the taxi industry, names such as Uber and Grab for instance are not fully promoting driver / passenger relationship, but they cultivate a friend-giving-a-friend-a-lift relationship among their drivers and passengers. One way the companies fostered this was by encouraging the passengers to sit in the front seat, as if getting a lift from a friend.

Marketers have an opportunity to redefine brand roles in almost every industry really. American Express for instance went from card issuer / card holder to club / member. Disney, for their amusement parks, went from operator / rider to cast member / guest. Starbucks positioned their coffee shops as community hub. Virgin America, instead of the normal flyer / passenger relationship, went for friend / party host relationship; maintaining their image as one of the best airlines out there that provides the best on-board entertainment experience for their customers.

On board Virgin America

Education has been defined by institution / student relationship ever since, but Grace Hopper Academy, a New York based software engineering school for women, went a step further in defining their relationship, that is by offering no upfront cost for its students. The students only pay tuition fee once they secure a job after graduating, to which the school would assist in securing. This approach was prompted by an awareness of gender gap in the tech industry, and the financial difficulty students face in taking the first step in tertiary education. This can be looked at as a teaching / mentoring / supporting relationship with a student, and not just an institution selling degrees to students.

In the fitness industry, marketers go beyond mediocrity in offering gyms with unique concepts. SWERVE Fitness in New York City for example, came out with the first team-inspired indoor cycling workout. The brainchild of three (3) former college athletes who missed the camaraderie of being part of a team, classes for the workout are divided into groups who compete for the highest overall energy output. This provides a motivational boost for the individual members to step up a notch in getting their teams to succeed. In terms of relationship, the gym and its members can be seen as game host / participants, instead of the usual gym / member relationship.

Team-inspired indoor cycling workout

Reflect

We at Orchan would recommend brands to deeply reflect on their relationship with their customers. To start, it’s best to frame the relationship as social roles because you would be able to see the value side of it. For example, in the airline industry, your default brand relationship might be cabin crew / passenger. What if you look at it from a different perspective, that is by considering other kinds of relationship? You can look into guide / traveller (to navigate), traveller / traveller (to share travel tips), or even just friend / friend relationship. The key point in defining relationship is that it has to be symmetrical.

Work Backwards

Another way to approach this is by working backwards from the kind of relationship you want to have. Think about the value and benefits of your product. Then imagine the human relationships that would provide the same type of benefits. For example, Notion’s home automation system that provides you protection by alerting you on things such as a door is open (house door, gun door, refrigerator door, etc.), water is leaking, the lights are on, the temperature has changed, or a smoke alarm has sounded. Instead of the usual role for a device maker of manufacturer / buyer, Notion has put itself as an important member of a family, looking out for you in an attentive and protective way. It’s indeed a humanised relationship between a product and its users.

Shift Brand Roles

Finally, look for ways to shift your brand roles from one-directional, asymmetrical, and transactional to reciprocal, symmetrical, and personal. These roles will bring to life your strategic narrative around a shared purpose, and it would ensure greater engagement, differentiation, and loyalty for your brand.

This article is abridged from Mark Bonchek’s Build your Brand as a Relationship article onHarvard Business Review.

Image Source: Chase Curry