Well its deadline day and with nerves that I haven't felt in a while, I'm about to start this thing called 'a blog'. 'A blog' about WOW brands no less... 'How hard can it be? We all know a bit about brands right?'
Coming from an innovations background, branding feels a lot like Golf- easy to pick up and difficult to master. So I've come to the conclusion that I should forget what I think I know, and use this as an opportunity to learn from the people around me.
This is where we come to the beautiful little lady in the picture- my daughter Mia. Amazingly curious, hysterically articulate and even at the age of two, schooling me on some of the key attributes of a WOW brand in way that I couldn't have imagined.
Okay, I just have to go to my bookshelf to find out about the brands that everybody likes to talk about- the Googles, the Apples and the Virgins of this world, But my daughters love of stories has introduced me to PIXAR- the example I would gush over if I were to talk a WOW brand...
Anyways, those of you who I have managed to pay, sorry persuade to visit my blog, please could look at the other pages (tabs above) which lift the WOW insights from the friends I have interviewed and let me know what you think.
Finally it turns out that all of us can put a pretty good picture of together of what makes a WOW brand, and by reading on you'll see that they're alot like having kids in that:
-You'll love them despite their faults
-You'll tell everyone about them
-Once you have them you won't be able to live without them
Anyways, better get on writing the rest of the content (whilst watching UP with Mia)...
Chaz
Chaz,
ReplyDeleteI think the best brands create disciples - they have some of the features you mention above but they go beyond that. They will argue for the brand beyond reason.
I guess they're known as 'evangelists', blinded by the love or lust the brands offers... Care to mention any examples of what you think is WOW?
DeleteBrand is a such a translatable term these days, as not just products and corporations build their story to project on the world. Some of the most powerful WOW brands for me are the brands of the city NYC or the brand of the individual such as Obama. With devoted evangelistic followers.
ReplyDeleteThere's an interesting question, do you think after a term in office Obama still has the WOW?
DeleteNone of the brands or products mentioned so far make me go 'WOW'. Things that made me go WOW in the past: The Mighty Boosh, The Sex Pistols, Sherlock, The Kindle, Linux, Angry Birds, tabasco sauce, millicano coffee, the new blade-less Dyson fan, the Brewmaster Beer Machine, bird watching telescope, the list goes on. These WOW brands all make me want more.
ReplyDeleteThere are some pretty unique examples here- The Kindle was an interesting one and I thought long and hard about using Amazon as a case. Does WOW for you mean you get the experience you expected, or it delivers something more and unexpected?
Deletewell, you got me thinking about the Brands I'm currently really into. Surely not one for life Brands. Me? er, well yes, so it would appear, at least for some categories. What do I look for in a Brand that gives me WOW? Design, yes. great functionality, yes. emotion, yes (I really love that!). Conversely of course I really hate poor design and designers that have sacrificed functionality and efficiency for form. Drives me mad.
ReplyDeleteWOW brands for me: BMW...I'm on my 12th. sad isn't it, but I really do look at other marques when it time to get a new car, but every time come back to a Beamer...for me they are the optimum blend of design, style (er not the X6!!) and really are the ultimate driving machine at a practical level, though 'Joy' might be pushing it abit...but it still brings a smile to my face. On a more pragmatic level I still eat all the cereal brands from my boyhood, Kellogs Cornflakes, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat. Trust, familiarity and comfort I guess. and Birds Eye peas are the only ones I'll eat too. They test every one! seriously, I've seen the factory. Have you ever had a bad one?
And knowing me as the fashionista that I am, I'm into Animal. FCUK was nice and edgy too, wasn't it?
You know, from what I've read the Beamer probably has alot in common with the cereal in your world...
Deleteyes, right. Daddy Cool drives an Alpena (geddit?!!)lol
DeleteWhat's a WOW brand...hmmm...
ReplyDeleteA brand where you forgive them small failures and mistakes...I'm thinking of Virgin airlines, even if the experience isn't top-notch every time, the benefits of staying in the 'club' keep me going back.
A brand where you see it as a badge of quality and will take that leap to try something new they're offering whereas you would be much more sceptical if another 'badge' was fronting... e.g. a movie with an actor you know and like, or a new smoothie flavour from Innocent.
A brand where you assume success in the experience even before it's happened e.g. a clothing brand that you know fits you and makes you look good.
A brand you've relied on and would feel guilty abandoning...e.g. Lonely Planet.
....
Increasingly I think that we may be getting the the whole brand led thing the wrong way around. Increasingly as brands lose the power to control the communication agenda I think the game maybe up! By that I mean as media gets more fragmented it's increasingly to difficult to reach a mass audience with the brand propaganda, sorry message. The Internet and video on demand is enabling consumers to access the information they want not just accept what's fed to them from the TV.
ReplyDeleteThe brand is really only a recognizable symbol for a product, service or experience. All the WOW brands you mention had excellent products first and foremost which then built the brand reputation. Would Innocent have become so successful if they'd used artificial ingredients or it hadn't tasted great?
Of course once you've built this reputation the trick is to ensure you maintain the values you set out with and figure out how you can extend your product range in a relevant and meaningful way. The extreme example is Virgin where the brand is based on an attitude of shaking up the status quo and putting the consumer first, a brand like this has unlimited potential as long as it can control the whole offer - running an excellent train service has been a challenge when you don't control the network.
What WOW brands do is create experiences that delight the human spirit, beyond the rational, functional and factual to appeal to the emotions and make associations that make you feel good. It's why a taste test is irrelevant to drinking the real thing, authenticity is powerful stuff and Coke have bottled it!
I guess it comes down to a brand without substance is built on sand.
I COULD NOT AGREE MORE!
DeleteA WOW brand for me is a brand that persuades people to stay with them for consistency if not reliablility and price, etc. The best examples of these are companies like BT (most people are too scared or don't want the hassle of change) or insurance companies like direct line (people don't want to have to learn to trust a new company.)
ReplyDeleteNowadays more and more though people are shopping around through price comparison websites so brand loyalty is a little diluted.
I think ultimately it comes down to trust, trusting the company to come up with the best time after time.
I gues I've been trying to say that TRUST, CONSISTENCY, INTEGRITY are the bedrock of any WOW brand with longevity..
DeleteOne of my WOW brands is Lomography. Normally I like products that are well made and durable, but with Lomo it's quite the opposite. All of their the cameras normally have some kinds of flaws, like sunlight getting in from some corner, but this is what makes them special. You'll have your own unique pictures with that certain flaw only your camera has. It's lo-fi and cool because of that. I feel the way they have made taking pictures with Lomo a lifestyle is also great. I just ordered a new camera from them (Diana Mini) in fern green (with yellow case for camera and turquoise case for flash). Just could not resist the color combo. So I guess also the design plays a part in this. They make it to look so nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks Liisa, I'll think about this one as its a really interesting example
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