All round boy scout and branding expert John Harrison recommended this source for thinking about WOW brands- When I first read it it I thought I'd got to a lot of similar conclusions through the interviews, but I'm still 50:50 on whether you actually need Mystery or Sensuality to make you love a brand.
Like in real life, I think it comes down to the kind of your love your looking for- it is the more attention grabbing and lustful love thats short lived, or the kind of romantic love that lasts years based on trust and respect (as a married man I'm bound to say romantic aren't I). I guess this also leads to the assertion that is easy for a WOW brands to become a NOW brands it they pursue the kind of thinks that aren't sustainable ( for example like being fashionable, with companies like ASOS stealing a march on TOPSHOP).
Anyways, a snippet from the Lovemarks site is below, along with a link- do you strongly agree or disagree?
The Future Beyond Brands
Brands have run out of juice. More and more people in the world have grown to expect great performance from products, services and experiences. And most often, we get it. Cars start first time, fries are always crisp, dishes shine.
Saatchi & Saatchi looked closely at the question: What makes some brands inspirational, while others struggle?
And we came up with the answer:
Lovemarks:
the future beyond brands
How do I know a Lovemark?
Lovemarks transcend brands. They deliver beyond your expectations of great performance. Like great brands, they sit on top of high levels of respect - but there the similarities end.Lovemarks reach your heart as well as your mind, creating an intimate, emotional connection that you just can’t live without. Ever.
Take a brand away and people will find a replacement. Take a Lovemark away and people will protest its absence. Lovemarks are a relationship, not a mere transaction. You don’t just buy Lovemarks, you embrace them passionately. That’s why you never want to let go.
Put simply, Lovemarks inspire:
Loyalty Beyond Reason
The Hallmarks of a Lovemark
At the core of every Lovemark is Respect. No Respect? It’s not a Lovemark. It’s as simple as that. Check out the Love/Respect Axis and see just where your favorite brand is sitting.
A Lovemark’s high Love is infused with these three intangible, yet very real, ingredients: Mystery, Sensuality and Intimacy.
Mystery draws together stories, metaphors, dreams and symbols. It is where past, present and future become one.
Mystery adds to the complexity of relationships and experiences because people are drawn to what they don’t know. After all, if we knew everything, there would be nothing left to learn or to wonder at.
Sensuality keeps the five senses on constant alert for new textures, intriguing scents and tastes, wonderful music. Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste.
Our senses work together to alert us, lift us, transport us. When they are stimulated at the same time, the results are unforgettable. It is through the five senses we experience the world and create our memories.
Intimacy means empathy, commitment and passion. The close connections that win intense loyalty as well as the small perfect gesture. These are often remembered long after functions and benefits have faded away.
Without Intimacy people cannot feel they own a brand, and without that conviction a brand can never become a Lovemark.
The Future of Lovemarks
Lovemarks can be found everywhere but to connect with consumers brands will need to go straight for the heart. The Age of Now is all about the mastery of emotional communication; not manipulation. In the Era of New marketing, it was all about your product. In the Age of Now it's all about the single question consumers have of you: "How will you improve my life?" Answering this is to deliver priceless value on screen and in store.On screen
For decades screens were Irreplaceable and Irresistible whether in television sets or movie theaters. In the twenty-first century, the family of screens has many more members whether on mobile phones or computers, tablets or digital billboards. But the proliferation of screens is not an excuse to get more complicated. It is the way to get closer to consumers by creating Lovemarks and Loyalty Beyond Reason.In store
Mystery, Sensuality and Intimacy are transforming the in store experience. Stores will host the next creative revolution as they become Theaters of Dreams. Lovemarks in store activate the drama of the brand where it matters by looking through the eyes of shoppers. The store is where over 80 percent of shopper decisions are made and an amazing 50 percent of brand switches happen.http://www.lovemarks.com/%20
Ahhh Yeee... nice analogy.
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