The Copywriter February 2012

{ What makes a lovable brand? }

Brands are already starting to fall by the wayside in 2012 – we’ve seen high-street veterans like Peacocks and Past Times go into administration, and even Tesco struggled over the Christmas break. It’s not all doom and gloom though, on the upside brands like John Lewis seem to be getting stronger and stronger. And that’s just in retail – brands in every sector are outperforming their competitors and engaging with increasingly loyal and prudent audiences.

But what is it that makes people fall in love with a brand?

Humanity – people like to relate to a brand as if it were another human being. This requires careful definition of, and consistency in communicating, a unique personality and character that shares the attitudes and values of the audience.

Relevance – consumers will also appreciate clarity on the purpose of a brand in their lives – they don’t want to be left second guessing. How a brand fits into their lives and how it can benefit them will be the two key questions on their mind.

Authenticity – a brand needs to convey itself accurately at every stage – from the first introduction consumers need to know exactly what they can expect from a relationship with the brand. And if their expectations are consistently met they are sure to love it.

Impact – a lovable brand is always present, even when out of sight. Achieving this means ensuring your audience is left wanting to see or know more at every touch point. It’s about creating a narrative that pieces communications together and keeps the audience’s attention.

Creating a lovable brand is about understanding what makes an audience tick, understanding their current perceptions of the brand and helping to shape their future decisions. That requires clarity about what the brand stands for – its core messages and tone of voice, objectives and how to achieve them. It’s through our tried and tested Blueprint workshops that we make this a reality for our clients. If you’d like to know more contact us on 020 7593 4014.

DBA Design Effectiveness Awards

This week we’ll be wining and dining at the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards, celebrating the positive impact design can have on business growth. The annual awards reward organisations that can demonstrate integrating their design brief with their client’s strategic objectives. The awards provide great evidence of the value for money that design delivers, showing time and again the huge return on investment that can be achieved through successful design.

We are proud to sponsor the awards, which are held on the 16th – watch this space for the winners!

• 30% of consumers believe that companies listed in top Google results are the top brands in their fields! (via @TheAgencyUK)
• Waterstones has dropped its apostrophe – we personally think it’s a pretty good move, much neater when writing about Waterstones’ products for example
• Twitter is adding 11 new accounts per second and could pass 500 million this month (The Journalism Foundation)

Thanks for reading, if you’d like to know more about our written communications services, please call us on 020 7593 4014, or email us at [email protected]