Brands need to focus on the emotional connect

We are in an age where brand visibility is no longer enough. The currency today is not attention but resonance. We have relied on the Brand Archetypes to shape the voice and soul of the brand. While the concept remains relevant, it is clearly not adequate. This inadequacy gets amplified as brand communication gets more interactive.

For years brands have created strategy and a tone of voice based on the Archetype. They have used it as the North Star to create the brand persona. A lot of effort has gone into consumer research, insight mining, semiotics, cultural analysis, behavioural studies, pre-testing, social listening and other disciplines to anticipate audience reactions.

And yet some brands have become iconic, gained the trust of their consumers, and stood the test of time. Marketing teams have changed, as have agencies. But the brand has stayed just as strong, and the trust has gained deeper roots. It has even survived backlash and controversies.

While a lot of other brands have failed to do so. They have either not managed to make the human connection, or lost what they have built. Sometimes, a brand has a great piece of communication here and there, after which it disappears from the mind of the consumer.

Branding has traditionally been identity-led. But communication needs to be relationship-led. The archetype is fundamentally a brand-centric construct. It tells us what character the brand should assume and how it should behave.

Brands that have had an extremely well-defined strategic identity have still produced communication that feels disconnected or ineffective. What has been missing is a consumer-centric framework that can shape not just what the brand says, but also how the audience experiences it. It has become paramount to have a structure that focuses on how one makes the audience feel.

#Branding #emotionalbranding #brandacrchetypes #consumerbehaviour #marketingcommunication #advertising

Author: Madhavi Kalra has done 25 years in advertising in most WPP agencies, across brands and categories. She believes that brand communication is but a conversation between the brand and the consumer. Formats come and go, but the conversation goes on.