Following World War II, a General and his Lieutenant boarded a British train. They sat opposite an attractive young lady and her grandmother. As the train departed, it entered a long tunnel. Total darkness encompassed the train for approximately thirty seconds. In the darkness of those moments, they heard two things – a kiss and a slap. Each one of them had their own take on what happened. For example…
The young lady assumed to herself, “While I’m flattered that the handsome Lieutenant kissed me, I’m embarrassed that my grandmother slapped him.”
The grandmother supposed, “I’m disappointed with the Lieutenant, but I’m proud that my granddaughter had the courage to hit him.”
The General thought, “What in the world… Why did my Lieutenant kiss that civilian young lady and why did she slap me by mistake?”
The Lieutenant was the only person who really knew what happened. In that brief period of total darkness, he had the opportunity to kiss an attractive young lady, as well as slap a General.
Perceptions are especially powerful as they form our reality and influence our actions towards everything around us. Every perception we have about a million and one things was formed in our minds through one or a combination of the human senses. Our eyes, ears, nose, mouth and hands (representing physical interaction and experience) are gateways through which all perceptions and impressions are formed. Without these, we can have no impression about anything.
In terms of its intangibility, a brand is a set of impressions, perceptions, ideas or emotions we have about anything. These intangible associations we have in our minds and hearts about a thing, say a chair for example, is the brand of that chair.
Based on its tangibility, a brand is every form of representation of a thing that is capable of forming an impression about it in our minds. So, from the chair itself, to a picture of it, to where it was made, and even its makers, all constitute its brand.
Everything has a brand. It only needs to exist to have one. Whether it’s a good one or a bad one is dependent on a plethora of factors but a major determinant of this is its delivery of value.
According to Simon Knox, a Professor at the Cranfield School of Management, UK, a brand is an entity that offers added value to customers and other relevant parties based on factors over and above its functional performance.
So at the heart of every brand is its delivery of value. This defines its degree of relevance to its specific audience. Whether in the form of products, services, relationships, lifestyles or experiences, the consistent delivery of these values determine the commitment of its audience to it.
A barrage of brand adverts in Times Square
As brands strive to create greater value for customers, so does the customer’s perception of value evolve. And as value evolves, its previous stage of evolution becomes basic. By implication, customers will always expect more. Brands can therefore keep up with their customer’s ever-evolving definitions of value by adopting a culture of innovation at the core of their operations.
Innovation is simply the introduction of new changes to something for the sole purpose of improving it. Physical products, services, frameworks, methods, models, processes, systems, technologies, can all be innovated. This could simply be a new way of thinking, a different approach or angle, a systematic change or an overhaul to something, all geared towards making it better. It can also entail a brand reinforcing its promise to its audience in newer ways that strengthens their commitment to it.
In whichever way, the key driver for value creation and brand advantage is innovation. While the brand’s vision and core values (the reason for its existence) remain the same, its interpretation of these in all its activities must be flexible to meet its audience’s needs per time and as the market demands.
It is also important to note that every form of innovation must directly or indirectly be of benefit to the brand’s audience. It therefore must be characterized by visible, experiential, or other relatable changes that stand to signify the improvement even when the improvement is imperceptible. This is because the overall goal is to influence people’s perception and all that the brand has at its disposal to achieve this are the five senses of its customers.
