Great Brands Think Alike

Let's begin with the obvious. One of these isn't a global powerhouse brand but every one of the companies listed does connect with their customer on a visceral, emotional level. Pushpa Fashions, contrary to initial belief, is right at home on the list.

What Is Pushpa?

If you were, like, anybody that, like, mattered during the early 90s in Charlotte, NC you shopped at Pushpa. Part fashion house and part social outlet, Pushpa developed a brand voice that connected with the most notorious of fickle tastemakers - teenagers. Think the Peach Pit from Beverly Hills 90210 minus the drama. With only two locations a zip code apart, Pushpa was no conglomerate but this isn't a story about size. In fact, Pushpa proved that great branding knows no size. The mom-and-pop operation discovered early on one of the greatest rules of marketing: pay attention to your customer.

What was intended to be a stalwart of classic American fashion for bankers began attracting hordes of teenagers on the weekends with expendable cash but a very different style aesthetic. The owners could have made the mistake of clinging to their carefully produced business plan at the expense of actually fulfilling it. Instead they listened to their customers and embraced their beliefs.

A local brand was born.

Not much has changed since Pushpa switched their store monitors from the business news to MTV. Companies that succeed embrace the trends, the voice, and the identity of their customers. They adapt while remaining true to their initial vision. Pushpa always intended to sell clothing in the city's urban district to discriminating clientele and that's what they did...though not exactly the way they pictured.

Building a brand isn't magic. It is, however, a test of a company's endurance and responsiveness. Great brands have a lot in common.

In the following case studies we'll examine two of the most important traits and what they mean to businesses of all sizes looking to pack an emotional wallop:

Speaking your customer's language, and

Remaining true to your initial vision while embracing change.

Those are two things Pushpa Fashions had right from the very beginning.

Wal-Mart: Redefining "Value"

Early in its storied history Wal-Mart encouraged us to "Buy American." The promise was they'd sell American products at low prices, stretching their customers' budgets and keeping them at work. If Wal-Mart's All American beginnings don't ring a bell its probably because as economic winds shifted towards cheaper imports the retail giant had an important decision to make. They could deliver domestic goods at price points that might alienate their largely working class customer base or abandon their patriotic pledge offer the lowest possible price. Standing at the crossroads of their brand's evolution, Wal-Mart took another look at their mission and determined that their real promise was to support the American family. To do that best they gleaned the intent from their "Buy America" pledge while ditching the actual practice.

Its branding principle "Remaining true to your initial vision while embracing change" done right...really right. Today Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer. Along the way they've defined the very concept of a mass retail operation for the 21st century. That bouncing yellow smiley face now promises value and low prices without restricting the retailer's ability to morph as their customer demands.

All companies won't be Wal-Mart. Indeed, many don't want to be Wal-Mart, but every company should want a brand that allows them to respond to their customers' changing demands. Collectively, small businesses now employ half of the private sector workforce.¹ What can they learn from the master?

Know Thyself

Wal-Mart doesn't just know their customer; they know who they are in relation to their customer. That understanding has taken them beyond household staples into offerings as diverse as banking, auto repair and quick food service. By understanding who they are in their customers' lives Wal-Mart has redefined the word "value" to mean more than just low price. Wal-Mart's vision of value is now synonymous with quality time and family values.

For millions of customers Wal-Mart means saving time by consolidating a list of errands into one trip to a superstore - often as a family - for a haircut, a tune-up and a bite to eat...together. That probably wasn't Sam Walton's initial vision, but that hasn't stopped Wal-Mart from growing beyond their business plan.

That kind of daring takes confidence - in who you are and who your customer is. You don't get there without first defining your voice. Once you know what you mean to your customers you're prepared to relinquish some control to Lady Luck and morph as the times demand, dragging your brand with you into the future.

STARBUCKS

Once upon a time movie pictures were called talkies and a cup a joe was a cup a joe. Today, millions of consumers are greeted by their neighborhood barista; choose from a soy latte or an Americano; a Grande or a Venti; light foam or no whip.

If all that sounds like Greek to you, you're in the minority. Some 50 million Americans now speak "Starbuck-ese" and millions more than that internationally.

What began as a quaint concept in Seattle, Washington for a neighborhood experience without the actual hassles of being a part of a neighborhood, Starbucks is the quintessential embodiment of "Speaking your customer's language." Talking your customers' talk means tapping into the motivation that drives them to seek out your product or service and offering it to them with every interaction.

Capitalizing on an increasingly isolated population, Starbucks realized its product offers their customers a pseudo-family: friendly workers who get to know your name and your order, familiarity of regular customers, and comfortable seating that invites one to linger.

The emotional currency is the feeling of belonging. Starbucks tells their story on the side of their cups, through the service delivered by well-trained employees, in the music they play and the experience they offer no matter what location you frequent. One can't help but know the Starbucks story. For millions of devotees the Starbucks brand is a membership into a savvy and exciting club that's worth the price of a three-dollar cup of coffee.

One Story

One story, one language reinforced at every turn; that's the lesson to be heeded by any organization that wants to inspire loyalty. No matter your business, you can create an on-going dialogue with your customer that inspires them to return.

From the front desk to the back office, every employee under your watch should be empowered with the story of your brand. That means defining a lexicon that communicates your value and then speaking it, during every interaction, with sincerity and intent.

If your clients rely on you for fast turn-arounds, does your corporate language reflect economy of words? Does every level of your organization reflect timeliness and are they equipped to retell your story? Answering these questions rescues a brand from the vacuum of boardroom irrelevance, transforming it into a living, sellable experience.

The story of Starbucks is how it is the neighborhood coffee shop - no matter where you are in the world. Every company can create that kind of relational dominance by telling their story through every available vehicle at every available opportunity.

Every Fish Has A Pond

The lessons of giant conglomerates like Wal-Mart and Starbucks is that every business, regardless of size, can succeed in creating a brand voice.

Pushpa Fashions may never make it into a marketing textbook but it does live in the memories of their clients some 15 years after the last store closed. That's the true value of a brand - it keeps working long after you've left for the day.

So who are you? What do you sound like? What do you inspire in your customers? Whether you've written your story or are just beginning to explore the possibilities of developing one, teaming up with a professional advertising or marketing consultant has the potential to pay off for years to come.

A good consultant has studied the infamous brands - and even a few of the not so infamous - and distilled their methods into an accessible creative process for every organization.

To find specialized help in creating an identifiable brand voice that grows has your business grows try reaching out to local community colleges and universities. Most urban institutions of higher learning have begun offering real world training for entrepreneurs and executives.

You may also find a wealth of informal branding information at local networking organizations like Toastmasters International or with your local chamber of commerce.

Whether you pay for a customized marketing plan or pull from the experiences of others in a more informal manner, deciding who your business is and how you will speak to your customer is as vital as determining your product or service.

¹ Us Department of Labor; Economic Outlook Report; August 27, 2006.