How can you create a brand that resonates with customers over time?

All of us are trying to humanise surrounding world. As a child we were naming our toys, did we? Even when adults we see faces when looking at the car front, are we? It is easier for us to perceive the brand, have this specific gut feeling, when it is humanised, when it is shaped like human being, when it gets the personality. But personality is not the visual part. You can find charismatic unfashionably, carelessly dressed professor and wonderfully dressed, well-groomed, fashionable idiot. Personality is about your brain, it is how you behave, express yourself, not how you look. In the people case appearance and personality consistency are nice to have; in the brands case this consistency seems to be essential.

Brands aren't that different than people and the principles for build affinity aren't that different than those for building long-term relationships. If long-term affinity is the goal, authenticity in your brand identity is key, whereas if you're looking for a flash of sales or quick wins, trendier identifiers can work or might even work better. As with all aspects of marketing, identifying your goals is critical to guiding your strategies.

A bit about brand assets. Every asset is important, but remember that this is not only "look" part. IMO more important is the "feel" one. This feeling comes from the brand strategy that is to be consistent, clear and easy to implement in the brand owner organisation. It is not only easier to create any visual brand asset when there is a strategy. It is easier to control every day brand behaviour.

Especially in CPG, it's been a long-standing tradition to as the question, "what celebrities or influencers share the voice and personality of your brand?" Tools like ChatGPT offer the ability to literally find out how a collection of those voices would communicate about your brand. Although this isn't enough to define your brand voice, it's a satisfying way to kick off the process and see if your intuition is in line with the content you'll really want. For example I can ask ChatGPT to describe a Klondike bar in the style of Oceans 11: They're like a smooth, sweet heist on your taste buds. It's a flavor caper you won't want to miss! Versus Sly Stalone: They pack a punch of sweetness and richness, like a knockout combo for your taste buds.

One thing I've found helpful is to know exactly what your goals are and who your customers are. It's true -it takes a lot of effort

Brand voice is to come from brand strategy. This is the brand strategy that builds the brand roots, creates its personality and identity. After that the brand communication comes and the brand voice is a big part of it.

Brand awareness takes time, deliberate effort and careful choice. You need to: ... show yourself in action ... demonstrate your value ... and do this consistently!

In the matter of fact the strongest brands remain still the same despite changes around them. Does it means they are not flexible enough or their strategies are so general? None of them. It means that their strategy is human oriented, they are based on basic human needs like trust and/or aspirations. There are thousands of tools that helps developing brand strategy - but there is a very simple one that remains the most effective - questions. Proper questions properly posed shows right direction for strategy development.

You know what's often overlooked here? Timeliness. Brand is a balance of consistency AND relevance. ?? Yes, you need to develop your brand's assets, establish a voice, and chart a strategy. That's consistency. ?? And, your brand has to have a relevant POV. Think: seasonal storytelling, cultural tie-ins, empathetic actions towards your customer. Relevance means meeting people where they are in the moment. ?? Once you nail consistency and define your "Why?", relevance is the right next step. Remember: It's not about reinvention. Rather, it's about interpretation and timely connection.

Constantly research your customers needs and find ways your brand can solve those needs. A brand that resonates with customers is effective and consistently fulfilling its promises to meet its customer needs. The Apple brand has consistently fulfilled its brand promises and now it’s one of the most successful brands in the world.