What Do Successful Brands Do?

What do successful brands do?

Successful brands:

•Stand for something
•Are trustworthy
•Treat people well
•Are different in relevant and meaningful ways
•Evolve with their customer’s needs and desires

Examples of successful brands

Starbucks
Starbucks was created as a ‘coffee experience that enriches people’s lives.’ Starbucks management views the Starbucks brand as combination of its product, its people and its in-store experience. Involvement and personal interaction are key to the Starbucks experience.  Starbucks strives to be authentic and stand for something through passionate and committed employees. It promotes treating people with respect and dignity.  For instance, its store employees are trained to treat Starbucks customers as if they were friends. So seldom will you be greeted with the words ‘Can I help you?’ or ‘What do you want?’ in a Starbucks store.

Harley Davidson
Harely Davidson is not about motorcycles. It is about an idea and a feeling. It is about ‘freedom of the road’ and ‘comradeship of kindred spirits.’ It reinforces this through its Harley Owners Group (HOG) and its activities. Clearly the Harley Davidson brand is meaningful to its customers. Why else would so many of them tattoo its logo on their bodies?

Midwest Airlines
Formally known as Midwest Express Airlines, Midwest promises ‘the best care in the air.’  And it must be doing something right because it has consistently earned the #1 US Airline designation and other awards from organizations such as Zagat, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Air Transport World and other consumer reports since 1995.