Marketing
with DOUG MACMILLAN
Doug MacMillan is president of The Letter M Marketing in Guelph, ON. To reach him, email doug@letterm.ca.
Personality traits define service brands in 2021 and beyond What is your brand personality?
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s consumers’ expectations of brands change in the postCOVID landscape, we can anticipate a shift in the brand adjectives that will be most resonant and effective. While oftenused attributes such as innovative, state-of-the-art, prestigious, luxurious, progressive and bold will still play an important role in brand positioning, brands will need to be humanized to a degree we haven’t seen in decades. Companies will associate real people with their products and services: business owners are developing their personal brands, establishing a trusted voice in the market, and celebrating their staff and the strengths they contribute. Service companies dependent on establishing the trust needed when entering people’s homes are especially susceptible to these changes. Even technology companies are on the bandwagon. A recent IBM thought leadership study reported: “While executives plan to expand almost all tech competencies during their future digital transformations … the business competencies that account for the largest part of an organization’s expected growth are those centred around employees and customers, such as workforce training and customer experience management.”
More than ever, customers wield their power to influence your business through online reviews, social media and the growing number of local “Best Of” awards that are based on consumer votes. Clearly, customer experiences rule the day. We’re are in the midst of an interesting time from a branding perspective; from every perspective actually. Brands need to revert to simpler days when leaders were present and companies showed the same commitment to their internal values as they did to promoting the value they provided. Challenging on its own, this must all be achieved while demonstrating we have our finger on the pulse of what’s ‘next’ by embracing progressive solutions and successfully adopting technologies.
Eight brand personality traits for service companies to explore in 2021:
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Transparent: The businesses that connected best with their customers during the pandemic were honest and consistent communicators. Personal letters from company owners were effective, while any advertising they did reinforced safety and support, not bargains and BOGO deals. This has raised the bar and buyers will look for honest, consistent and simple communications from the leaders in the companies they do business with.
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Kind: Genuine interest in supporting staff, customers and
community is now an essential attribute for most brands. Numerous studies show Canadians favour caring companies. Kindness needs to be more than a promise: it should be baked into every activity in the business. A caution, though: walk a fine line between telling customers about these commitments and “humble bragging” to the point it seems disingenuous.
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Nimble: Yes, “pivot” was perhaps the most overused word of 2020, however a brand’s ability to be agile will be a measure of strength and stability for customers. This might include quickly adopting different technologies to support a contactless and safer experience or introducing new services that align with changing needs in the marketplace, such as air cleaning.
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Collaborative: Building new partnerships will emerge as
a key advantage. Trust has become an important asset as people more critically evaluate who they allow in their homes or businesses. Smart businesses will leverage this by introducing other service partners who have passed their screening and can be trusted to provide the same level of reliable service.
