Why Belief Driven Brands Will Dominate.

There is saying that goes, ‘if you don’t stand for something then you will fall for anything’. In 2017, Airbnb - an online marketing brand that offers hospitality service ran an ad in the Super Bowl stating #WeAcceptAll - a stance against Donald Trump’s immigration ban.

Airbnb despite down turning the hotel industry in the world, they have also stood for developing a solid customer base with candid values.

Furthermore, in Sept 2018 Nike launched ‘Dream Crazy’ ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, the American National Football League (NFL) player who protested the United States (US) anthem by kneeling.

In spite of social uproar, Nike’s sales increased by 31 percent just four days after the activation.

In the digital world across 8 top markets, Eldeman study has shown 1 in 2 people are belief-driven buyers in the year 2017. The study also showed that ‘67 percent bought a brand for the first time due to its position on a controversial issue and 65 percent will not buy a brand because it stayed silent on an issue it had an obligation to address’.

This means, the product or service value is not a self-sufficient and independent factor to bond a customer and a brand. A brand must have a purpose or in simple terms a societal call to action that emancipates change or uphold a certain value.

What does this mean for brands? They must first interpret the course of customer beliefs, and second, setting in motion plans to meet their expectations. It is also important to study where your brand values put your company in a progressive or regressive stage.

According to Christian Sarkar and Philip Kotler in 2018, they identified how brands can push on to being progressive by standing for progressive customer’s values in areas such as; leadership, citizenship, social, legal, family, tech, environment and so many others.

This logic is supported by the fact that your target audience dynamics in age and behavior. Get to understand what contemporary issues and ideals shapes them today, as they might not be the same things yesterday.

In most cases, millennials are the majority of the audience who will go for a belief based brand more than a value based brand. As their mindsets continue to evolve, your brand purpose should be transformed to stay relevant and consistent with their aspirations.

It’s not surprising to see brands such as Nike conform to change not only in sports but in societal issues like character, beliefs, ideas etc.

It’s worth pointing out - you probably won’t win everyone in your marketing efforts, however, you will be able to acquire a segment of the audience who will be willing to talk about your brand and ultimately bond.

Another key secret is to be consistent all the way even to the last point of purchase, a customer has to see the same belief you started with the first time he/she interacted with your brand.

This means you need to develop a solid content marketing plan that directs a customer to each touch point. Create a consistent brand voice. Consequently, it will dictate communication and keep your voice above the noise by featuring peers such as influencers who would transcend ideas and command authority.

In a matter of fact, it is a complex process especially in a multicultural and volatile environment, but if it's done right, a brand can just be where people look up to a positive life changing factor. The public might even stand for you in moments of distress.

So, what do you think your brand stand for?