Be Trusted or Die
The mere act of being does not turn you into a Brand.
The consumer is worried. A large percentage of internet users (everybody by now) feel that innovation is coming too fast and they are losing trust in brands.
One reason is the fear of having no privacy. Our phones register every move we make, where we are, what we bought even our heart rate!
The less privacy people have the more insecure everybody feels; Uber, Airbnb, Nike Plus, Amazon, Google, Apple Watch It seems that every day more and more companies own some information about us.
Being always On is where the problem resides but, how can we disconnect? our friends and family are there, our work is there!
Brands today must show social conscience, they must explain to the consumer what innovation means and how it affects them. How are they going to handle their personal information and how deep are they going to go into their lives (all while taking care of the planet).
Saying it is not enough. It has to be proven by facts every step of the way, every day.
Being a Brand is a great responsibility, it is not just designing beautiful products and flooding the internet with thousands of pictures. NO.
Media democratisation means people have the power. Communication nowadays is a conversation among people. Brands must participate by being relevant and transparent and adding value to what is being talked about.
A brand must earn the right to be called a BRAND.
If a brand expects to communicate from the top a soap box with a loudspeaker as they did a couple of years ago, nobody is going to listen. If they just open Social Media profiles and start bombarding the place with special offers, funny pictures and videos; interrupting the conversation that is going on people will just block them. Ad blockers were created to avoid noise, remember people do not read ads, people read what they find interesting and important to them if brands have interesting and relevant things to say to their target audience the message will get through. Brands have to listen, participate and above all, add value.
To be considered a Brand, get off your pedestal, get into the conversation, be transparent. Honour what you promise, answer the questions, make questions listen to the answers and take action. If you gain people’s trust you will then be a BRAND.