Brand Matters : Are You Listening?
What makes for a great branding conversation
February 2008 By Andrea Syverson
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What does your brand say to customers? Is it a lot of meaningless yada yada yada, or is it a truly productive conversation with your valued customers? Is it a monologue or a dialogue? What’s the flavor of the conversation: lighthearted and playful, serious and informative, whimsical and humorous? More importantly, does the tone and voice match your brand positioning?
Your brand is a series of intimate and not-so-intimate conversations with customers. These conversations occur through your printed word, online presence, the customer service experience you offer and word-of-mouth among customers. Are these conversations compelling? Do they entice your customers to want to pay attention to what you have to say?
If you haven’t done so already, conduct a thorough analysis of your brand conversations during the past six months. Try to remain unbiased about the results. Evaluate your message pattern from both your own perspective and that of your customers’.
Here are some branding strategies used by those who excel at the task.
Right on the Money
Financial services firm Charles Schwab Corp. took the idea of brand conversations literally. Its award-winning and long-running “Talk to Chuck” ad campaign is a series of talk bubbles that mirror real customer conversations.
According to Becky Saeger, Schwab’s chief marketing officer, “‘Talk to Chuck’ is the invitation to a dialogue—our call to investors to bring us the very real issues they face in their financial lives. Our promise is that we’ll listen and respond to their individual needs.”
On its “Talk to Chuck” Web pages, Schwab offers dozens of questions that investors should ask brokerage firms. The questions are written in a down-to-earth fashion, such as, “If my account grows or contracts, how will your fees change?”. All are important questions written in a real-life dialogue.
This campaign is a role model of what a brand conversation should be, because it nails the true and unscripted thought patterns of most consumers who are worried about the pain points of financial services. It’s obvious that Schwab executives spent hours listening to customers. The campaign is well thought out and consistent across TV, print, online and direct mail ads, as well as its branch merchandising. Undoubtedly, customers look at the messaging nuances and feel comfortable that Schwab understands their true needs.
Critique: The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University
Thank you to Joan Mintz Ulmer, director of marketing and communications at The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University, for sending in her brochure and brand packet for review. Here are some “brand conversation” thoughts for her to consider after a review of these materials and the organization’s homepage:
A+ On thoroughness of information presented in both pieces; very detailed, lots of questions answered. Academic in approach; seems to suit nature of brand.
A+ On professionalism of design and appearance of materials.
A+ On “Executive Summary” on each separate sheet; concise, gets right to point for readers.
B Good use of testimonials, especially when they are specific and credited to a particular person and company; adds credibility to the organization.
Needs improvement in a few areas:
Editing—Is it important to tell the entire story in this brochure or simply provide a teaser for a personal follow-up? With readers’ attention spans decreasing, shorter and bulleted copy (like that in the Executive Summaries) becomes much more impactful.
White space—The Web site makes good use of white space and briefer copy. The printed materials could benefit from more breathing room; it is hard to tell what is most important on each sheet/panel.
Emotional connection—The Web site shows a “human touch” photographic element that is missing in these printed pieces. This feature helps convey the human element and puts a face to the work and mission of The Nonprofit Center. And it adds a necessary emotional connection.
Case studies—No doubt The Nonprofit Center has significantly affected many organizations. The printed pieces would benefit from a few brief case studies that would give the reader a sense of “results” versus more information.
—A.S.
Companies Mentioned:
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