I found this aspect of the lecture highly interesting. I had never really considered prior to this class the way in which I form an alliance and loyalty with a brand. Admittedly, I had never given it much thought, but I had always assumed that I looked for functionality over most things. Learning the importance of brand values and the way in which they inform brand creation reframed my perspective with the loyalty I have built with certain brands.
For example, my favourite clothing brand Jaded London, creates nice clothes which I like. However, it’s not necessarily a lucky coincidence that I keep going back to this brand. It is because I have built an affinity with their values, such as being at the cutting edge of streetwear, high quality, ethical and innovative. Similarly, I choose apple for their values of simplicity, excellence and streamlined, well considered products.
Brand values can also have a large effect on the demographic which adopts them. For example, more ethical valued brands would attract people with a strong environmental or human rights conscience. Careful promotion of particular brand values can contribute to a highly successful brand. I would quite like to discover the brand values of banks both digital and traditional to further my research in preparation for my project.
What a company looks like, sounds like, and how it behaves are all equally important to a consumer. People experience brand through:
Visuals
Tone
Behavior
The expectation in the modern age is a well rounded, holistic approach to branding and UX. Building strong interfaces that harken to a brands digital marketing presence is key to creating a truly immersive experience with a brand and it’s product.
Experience is a ‘brand differentiator’. People reflect on their experience with a brand and conjecture the quality of a brand from those experiences — it’s a natural reaction which we all do. Essentially, it determines if a customer will engage with a brand’s products.
I think it is extremely important that a brand’s digital presence is excellent. In my opinion, due to the wider reaching power of digital products, it is more important than the consumer experience in a brick and mortar aspect of the brand. I also feel it is easier to generate a more successful and positive CX on a digital platform as it is always pre planned.
This refers to the choice of language that becomes the vernacular of your branding and it’s content. Learning about the Martin Joos Theory (1961) was interesting as it made me realise each brand I have encountered without doubt takes a clear standpoint on their tone and this is often reflective of the target demographic.
I recalled the tone used by my workplace, Hollister. Their tone of voice is without doubt casual and verging on intimate. This is seen throughout their website and most strongly in their social media presence. They take a Gen-Z-esque tone of voice which undoubtedly is the demographic they are trying to attract the most.