Some folks think "brand" as an idea and objective is pretty squishy. Understandable because typically the strength of your brand isn't easily measured unless you're using the Zilyen Brand Index (more on this later).
You can measure message retention, advertising penetration, a host of web advertising tracking metrics, product sales, rebate redemption, store traffic and the like. All of that is valuable and does to some extent indicate the strength of brand or brand initiative.
But none of it gets to the ultimate measure and goal of any brand - audience evangelization.
Put simply when one of your customers promotes your brand to a peer you've reached goal. This organic word of mouth is the sweet spot you're looking for, and it is THE objective that many of your other marketing and business metrics are contingent upon.
Take a look at this bit by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. Three big brands are get a lot of attention here, AT&T, Apple and Verizon.
What struck me was how much Jon's material and the audience reaction to it revealed about these respective brands.
Firstly, everyone on the set that day knew who AT&T, Verizon and Apple were and what they do. It's not like Jon had to say "AT&T, a telcom company" and so on. Brand recognition was not an issue.
A more striking assumption for the material was that everyone also understood three other things - (1) AT&T cell service was horrible (2) Verizon service was much better (3) Apple made a bonehead decision locking it's iPhone customers to AT&T.
Picture the respective Chief Marketing Officers for these companies watching this bit, only one would be smiling. The millions of dollars AT&T and Apple spent on their marketing stand in stark relief to the shorthand Jon and the audience share about the performance of the iPhone and the AT&T network - it is understood that the iPhone did everything great except work as a phone (!). Jon didn't have to make this case, the funny of the schtick is built in part on a sense of comisseration. Jon is giving humorous voice to the frustration so many iPhone users, and so many member of his audience, feel.
And Verizon comes out a hero, with Jon yelling "Freedom!" in reaction to the announcement that iPhone users can now choose this provider. Jon is a customer, and he's evangelizing the Verizon brand to millions. That will do more for Verizon than a year of advertising.
His barbs for Apple and AT&T underline how audience evangelization is a double-edged sword, your customer will also promote your brand shortcomings.
The takeaway here is the goal of a any brand should be to invite the customer or audience to be a part of it, to own it, internalize it, and promote it as their own. Jon Steward does this for Verizon. His routine wouldn't work if Verizon's stellar performance wasn't a given to his studio and television audience, and he was readily underscored this on his show - incredible.
And while it's great when a popular television personality evangelizes a brand on a national show, the customer that does so at the kitchen table is just as important. In either case the principle is the same, and is the measure a brand's strength and success.
Jeff Caporizzo is Vice President/Creative Director at ZilYen. To find out more visit zilyen.com
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