WHAT IS BRAND RELEVANCE
Brand relevance is a company’s way to connect with people’s emotions and become personally relevant to them. It is not about how customers think, but how they feel; such as driving a Ferrari car makes me feel trendy, watching Netflix makes me feel good, driving a Tesla makes me feel smart.
Brands need to stand out, not just by being different, but by being both personally relevant and emotionally important to people. Relevance is more important than differentiation: business strategists, marketers, and brand managers have been fixated on differentiation. When a brand seeks a meaningful position through personal relevance, it starts by discovering what makes it potentially relevant and then focuses on evoking the emotions that will support, extend and highlight that relevance.
HOW TO BUILD BRAND RELEVANCE
Building a relevant brand starts with three essentials. Firstly, brands should hold a well-defined strategic purpose that creates values. It’s the only way to inspire people. Next, companies need to engage customers through living brand experiences, and lastly, powering brands inside out through culture & heritage.
WHAT ARE FACTORS IMPACTING BRAND RELEVANCE
● Consumer research to identify brand relevance factors – functional and emotional amongst relevant demographics.
● Research findings are incorporated into brand positioning and new product development.
● Brand purpose model with a clear strategy.
● Dedicated brand managers with sufficient responsibility and influence to take action.
HOW BIG BRANDS MAKE IT RELEVANT
Nike was once a brand that developed effective brand relevance, colorful ads, and legendary athletes. Today, it’s an ecosystem of dynamic ‘living’ experiences; Like the Nike+ community, an ever-expanding universe that includes expert coaching from Nike pros, personal connections to millions of other athletes, training clubs, and valuable partnerships with the likes of Apple.