When some people hear me say “Great brands cultivate emotional connections with their customers,” they think this principle doesn’t apply to them. They think their product or service is in a “boring” category — or their customers only make rational purchase decisions — or they’re in a low-cost, transactional business that doesn’t operate on brand appeal.  Check […]

romancing-the-brand

–  the book:  Romancing the Brand: How Brands Create Strong, Intimate Relationships with Consumers – an easy read filled with fascinating brand stories –  the brain:  Tim Halloran, former executive at Coca-Cola and current consultant to companies including Home Depot, Kraft Foods, and the NBA […]

avoid selling products

Yep, you read that right.  Great brands actually avoid selling products.  Great brands know that people make purchase decisions based on how products make them feel or the identities products help them experience or express — so they seek to create emotional connections with people and use product features as mere support for that emotional […]