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Article contributed by Suzanne Tosolini
Brand Strategist – Leonora Polonsky & Associates LLC

At the 2011 Cannes Festival of Creativity, there was an overriding message:  Brands need to become more human.

This humanity is evident when a brand tells its story in a way that entertains, teaches, or provokes and shares its values and ideals with the world. Nike’s Film Grand Prix winner Write the Future does it well, as did 2010 winner Old Spice “The Man your Man could Smell Like”, which went on to win this years Cyber Grand Prix for it’s online follow up Responses. You can easily tell what these brands believe in.  And you can relate to them in a human way.

After Cannes I was in Italy, which cemented my point of view.  Brands could learn from Italians on how to humanize themselves:  Waiters enjoy telling you what to order in a way that makes you feel special, each gift comes with a story, and every purchase feels like the deal of the year.  It’s all about stories and how they make you feel.  Does the homemade olive oil from the neighbor in Tuscany taste better?  Is the sweater, bought in a store where the salesperson informs you secretly that it’s made with the same wool used by Prada, really as precious as it feels?

So brands like Innocent, Method, Whole Foods, Zappos, and Apple are winning consumers hearts and minds due, in part, to the stories they create and share.  Components of a good brand story

• Seed conversations around the story
• Be true to brand history with a fresh, relevant twist
• Be authentic
• Stay constant over the long term
• Be passionate
• Make ideals and values apparent in the story

What stories does your brand have and how can you use them like Italians do?

Contact Suzanne: suzanne@leonorapolonsky.com

Al Reis’ recent Ad Age article “Discountitus” points out that in some industries brand differentiation is history, and success lies in deep discounts (airlines, insurance, retail). Another recent article highlighted the continued migration from Brands to Private Label. These articles raise an important question. When should “value” be part of a Brand’s Position, either as a Point-of-Difference (POD) or Point-of-Parity (POP)?

Value POD? Every Brand needs to deliver a strong value, but only Brands for which value is a central differentiator should establish a value POD (e.g. – Walmart). For Luxury Brands (think Tiffany, Ritz), price plays a central role in how consumers view the Brand; however, brand positioning focuses on what makes the Brand special, not price or value. Ritz: Feeling Like Royalty.

Value POP? Some Brands create a Competitive POP on value to negate a Competitive POD. As Professor Keller has shown, to establish a POP, a Brand simply needs to be “in the zone”. Target’s “Expect More. Pay Less.” creates a POP on value to compete with Walmart, while still focusing on their POD. In Categories which are heavily price/value driven (perhaps one with high P/L shares), establishing value credentials may be a Category Requirement even in the absence of needing to negate a competitive POD.

No Value POP or POD? In general, all of a Brand’s communication should be on equity. So, if a Brand doesn’t aspire to establish a value POP or POD, it shouldn’t be a focus of communication. While there might be a tactical exception, it can be a slippery slope.

Value Communications? Where value is part of a Brand’s desired equity, either as a POD or POP, there are many clever and well proven ways to understand consumer psychology around price/value and cleverly reframe perceptions in communications. The right reframing approach and execution can have a surprisingly big and fast business impact.

Brand stories are a wonderfully rich way to share defining moments that epitomize the essence of a Brand. My favorite is the legend about a man in Alaska who took a pair of used snow tires to Nordstrom’s return counter. He was asked what he paid and promptly given a full refund – without question. This story epitomizes Nordstrom’s customer service credo: The customer is always right, even when he’s provably wrong.

I lived one such story last week. I was a guest at Adobe Grand Villas, a Bed & Breakfast in Sedona, Arizona. I picked Adobe Grand based on reviews on Trip Advisor. It was the #1 rated Sedona property. Reviews were chock full of stories about extraordinary service. The villa we stayed in (Timbers) was spectacular, with a bathroom the size of most hotel rooms, complete with a large hot tub and fireplace (http://www.adobegrandvillas.com/rooms-timbers.htm) The guest book in the villa was filled with stories about above-and-beyond service.

Upon return home, we realized that we accidentally threw away a tiny $500 mouth-guard in a tissue (a clear bit of plastic large enough to cover only 4 front teeth). Grasping for straws, we called Adobe. They were apologetic and empathetic, but did not offer hope. “It could be anywhere in the dumpster by now”. Three days later, a small package from Adobe Grand was in our mailbox – the mouth-guard, found by the innkeeper who “dumpster dove” to find and return the missing treasure. Our story is now part of the intricately crafted Adobe Grand tapestry on Trip Advisor. It’s already been read by hundreds of potential customers.

It’s not every day that a Brand has a chance to “Dumpster Dive” to inspire “loyalty beyond reason”… to create stories that build a Brand legacy. That said, I bet many Brands miss daily opportunities to show what they’re really made of and create stories. What is your Brand doing to surprise and delight in a way that lives the Brand promise/values and creates “loyalty beyond reason”?