The news is currently dominated by identity politics, and while I want to remain apolitical, I can’t help but feel that our nation is far from being a “United” Kingdom.
It seems to me that you could draw many comparisons between brands and political parties as politics involves choosing a side and endorsing it as your “chosen brand”. Political loss arises when promises that got a party into power are broken and we watch leaders reverse their decisions. In the marketing world, we watch established brands change direction and rewrite their brand narrative, only to realise that their target audience then hates them.
The question is, if the audience were true believers, why would the brand narrative need to change anyway? Could the reason that some companies rebrand be because their public have already moved on to other more competitive brands?
This raises an interesting question about brand loyalty. In football, for example, you choose your club, or your family does, and switching clubs is unthinkable! That said, my brother switched his loyalty way back in 1989 from Liverpool to Arsenal when Michael Thomas scored in the last minute to win the league from a fragile Liverpool (after Hillsborough). So, it does happen!
More recently, I was watching the opening match of the Premier League and witnessed how the football world united following the tragic, untimely death of Diego Jota and his brother. All of a sudden, tribalism lost its brand appeal as all the fans from different clubs embraced something much bigger and compassion ruled.
Brands that have real longevity carry a deeper message than their colour or style. Is it not more about the impact the audience desires to make..?
My own experience of brand loyalty
In the automotive industry, the most significant shift in recent years has been the transition from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles. As a manual car enthusiast, the slight lag of vehicles with automatic transmission annoyed me, so I identified as a “manual” driver. The extra effort required to change gears gave me a sense of control, and I resisted any change!
Then, about three months ago, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take the plunge and test an electric car to gain firsthand experience of driving one.
During the test drive, after five whole years of scepticism, I started to reconsider my reservations about adopting an electric vehicle.
The driving experience was transformative! It offered a sense of freedom without the constraints of traditional petrol-powered vehicles. I found myself having to eat a quiet slice of humble pie.
Infrastructure and charging have been learning experiences for me, but now I find myself relaxing at Gloucester Farm Services enjoying a cup of tea and a cake by
the duck pond. Charging seems to provide a respite from the hustle and bustle of my busy life. I’ve become a bit of an electric car enthusiast, and I’ve been able to charge my car for a fraction of the cost as well as benefit from a significant tax break!
The responsibility that comes with making a personal decision!
Remembering back, it wasn’t until relatively late in the mobile phone revolution that I embraced texting, and it completely changed my life! I was one of the last of my friendship group to adopt a smartphone, enjoying my traditional off-grid activities until I became hooked on texting. Now, I’m invested in the world of smartphones, as they enable me to run my businesses from anywhere in the world.
When it comes to brand loyalty and identity, I’ve always chosen lesser-known brands, only to see them become mainstream. It’s like music – I was once a fan of a little-known band called Oasis, listening to their white-label record on Radio 1. Once I commit to a brand, I rarely change my mind. Oasis, Apple and now Polestar have my attention.
For every great brand, there’s a bad one, and for every great experience, there’s a poor one. Ultimately, brands can change over time because companies forget who they’re supporting and prioritise profit over people.
When it comes to identity, first you need to know who you are and then be very clear on the alignment you have for your particular assignment. My first step into the world of electric vehicles was with my company, Di9ital, but my business at HUM4NS is the proud owner of a Lexus! Both choices align perfectly with their respective brand.
When confronted with making choices, I’ve never seen them as black and white. Instead, I’ve learned to absorb both‘ sides ’and make my own choices. I refuse to get drawn into one side as good and the other bad. History shows us that division can be created to advance causes to the benefit of a select few. I believe that when division is manifest, the lines that have been drawn need rethinking as one generation forgets the lessons learnt by the previous one.
My brand loyalty comes from a ‘taste and see ’approach, but I do a lot of research before investing. Apple educated me at college about what was possible, while Liverpool was my escape, and Oasis was the cause I championed. Some brands manage to celebrate community rather than alienating it.
Brands should inspire, disrupt, and celebrate us. They should encourage us to do better and celebrate life, not help to shorten or end it. Oasis wrote ‘Live Forever ’as a backlash to a lyric from Nirvana’s song “I Hate Myself and Want to Die.” My football team’s anthem is YNWA (You Never Walk Alone), and Apple embraces “thinking differently”.
Life is difficult but if you celebrate people, it can be electric. This is why the best brands help you to remain positive in a negative world so that you can walk on a road less travelled.