Ken Gasque: How is your image? What do your customers really think?
August 21, 2013
By Ken Gasque
August 21, 2013
Is your image what you want it to be? Is it accurate? Do you even know what it is? I am speaking about businesses, services and products. But it applies to you as an individual as well. That’s a topic for another day but remember what your mother always told you— “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” But you do. We all do. That is why your image is so important.
Back to my question…how do you know what your image is? Have you asked anyone? What do your customers and prospects say when they are talking about your service and your products? Do you know why they think what they do? Is it what you want?
Your image, like your brand, is what your customers think it is. I believe that the term ‘image’ has a bad connotation with a lot of business people. I quoted Sally Ride in this column last month from an interview on NPR but I think it is worth repeating. She was talking about her position at NASA after her astronaut career ended. She said she was “trying to change the image, but that sounded really superfluous…” NASA didn’t believe in controlling their image and they will cease to exist Engineers and accountants have told me over the years that “we don’t want anything cute or funny or warm and cuddly, we’re engineers (accountants) and we don’t think that way.” They want to believe everything is black and white.
Some people believe that creating an image for a company is a manipulation—and it can be. But it is like wearing a well-tailored suit or a woman with makeup that accentuates her beauty. Yes, it is manipulative to the extent you are trying to make a favorable impression. Image and brand are often used interchangeably. However, your brand is really more inclusive as it is your customer’s perception and experience of your company, its products, and services. A brand is the essence of a company.
A brand makes it easier for your customer to make a favorable decision about your product or service because a brand is a belief, their belief. A brand is not a slogan or a particular style of graphics or colors, or a unique design or song or jingle. But it is all of these things that create an experience or an emotion.
All sales are emotional. And brands make us feel good about our purchases and ourselves. They create emotions.
Branding begins with a promise—a differentiation in your product or service.
“There are no commodities; everything can be differentiated,” said Theodore Levitt in The Marketing Imagination.
Differentiation is one of the most important strategic and tactical activities a company does and does continually. There is no such thing as a commodity.
However, it is extremely difficult to create a product with a meaningful difference. A few examples of differentiated products are the iPod and the iPhone and later the iPad. Apple’s tremendous growth reflects the power of these innovations and their differentiation.
It is even harder to create a meaningful difference in the service sector. If you are thinking you have better quality or service, think again. Quality and customer service are rarely differentiating ideas. Quality is a given. Service is a given. The consumer expects it. And most companies do not deliver what the consumer is expecting. When it does happen word of mouth and testimonials are volunteered and legendary stories of service spread through the social media. Zappos’ has built a business on legendary service but they are one of the few. They began with the attitude that we will do ‘whatever it takes.’ There are stories of their sales people being on the phone with customers for hours discussing the choice between two pairs of shoes. It doesn’t make sense from an accounting point of view but from a social media experience it will be talked about and become legend. Service can be differentiated but it is very difficult and sometimes very costly.
Design may be the only differentiator.
Steve Jobs felt that design was as important as the technology. He felt that Apple’s success came because they were at the intersection of design and technology. Jobs took a course in college on typography. It was a lark. He took it just because it seemed interesting. It influenced his thoughts on design. He saw how he could create more value by combining design and technology. While Apple’s technology was a breakthrough, it’s design was awesome. No one had ever considered the possibilities before.
“Design is the ultimate edge,” said Tom Peters. “Design, like lifestyle, is one of the few differentiating factors, and companies that ignore the power of elegant and functional design will lose.” Do you have a designer involved in your projects? Is your competitor using design better than you are? Ask your most trusted friends.
Design is a powerful tool, it’s easy to use, and it can be done quickly. It may be your only differentiator.
Think different.
Good design pays. Because we buy with our eyes.
Ken Gasque is president of Gasque Marketing and Advertising. We develop brands, create identities and grow businesses. Ken can be reached at [email protected] and you can read his blog at www.gasque.com
August 21, 2013
Is your image what you want it to be? Is it accurate? Do you even know what it is? I am speaking about businesses, services and products. But it applies to you as an individual as well. That’s a topic for another day but remember what your mother always told you— “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” But you do. We all do. That is why your image is so important.Back to my question…how do you know what your image is? Have you asked anyone? What do your customers and prospects say when they are talking about your service and your products? Do you know why they think what they do? Is it what you want?
Your image, like your brand, is what your customers think it is. I believe that the term ‘image’ has a bad connotation with a lot of business people. I quoted Sally Ride in this column last month from an interview on NPR but I think it is worth repeating. She was talking about her position at NASA after her astronaut career ended. She said she was “trying to change the image, but that sounded really superfluous…” NASA didn’t believe in controlling their image and they will cease to exist Engineers and accountants have told me over the years that “we don’t want anything cute or funny or warm and cuddly, we’re engineers (accountants) and we don’t think that way.” They want to believe everything is black and white.
Some people believe that creating an image for a company is a manipulation—and it can be. But it is like wearing a well-tailored suit or a woman with makeup that accentuates her beauty. Yes, it is manipulative to the extent you are trying to make a favorable impression. Image and brand are often used interchangeably. However, your brand is really more inclusive as it is your customer’s perception and experience of your company, its products, and services. A brand is the essence of a company.
A brand makes it easier for your customer to make a favorable decision about your product or service because a brand is a belief, their belief. A brand is not a slogan or a particular style of graphics or colors, or a unique design or song or jingle. But it is all of these things that create an experience or an emotion.
All sales are emotional. And brands make us feel good about our purchases and ourselves. They create emotions.
Branding begins with a promise—a differentiation in your product or service.
“There are no commodities; everything can be differentiated,” said Theodore Levitt in The Marketing Imagination.
Differentiation is one of the most important strategic and tactical activities a company does and does continually. There is no such thing as a commodity.
However, it is extremely difficult to create a product with a meaningful difference. A few examples of differentiated products are the iPod and the iPhone and later the iPad. Apple’s tremendous growth reflects the power of these innovations and their differentiation.
It is even harder to create a meaningful difference in the service sector. If you are thinking you have better quality or service, think again. Quality and customer service are rarely differentiating ideas. Quality is a given. Service is a given. The consumer expects it. And most companies do not deliver what the consumer is expecting. When it does happen word of mouth and testimonials are volunteered and legendary stories of service spread through the social media. Zappos’ has built a business on legendary service but they are one of the few. They began with the attitude that we will do ‘whatever it takes.’ There are stories of their sales people being on the phone with customers for hours discussing the choice between two pairs of shoes. It doesn’t make sense from an accounting point of view but from a social media experience it will be talked about and become legend. Service can be differentiated but it is very difficult and sometimes very costly.
Design may be the only differentiator.
Steve Jobs felt that design was as important as the technology. He felt that Apple’s success came because they were at the intersection of design and technology. Jobs took a course in college on typography. It was a lark. He took it just because it seemed interesting. It influenced his thoughts on design. He saw how he could create more value by combining design and technology. While Apple’s technology was a breakthrough, it’s design was awesome. No one had ever considered the possibilities before.
“Design is the ultimate edge,” said Tom Peters. “Design, like lifestyle, is one of the few differentiating factors, and companies that ignore the power of elegant and functional design will lose.” Do you have a designer involved in your projects? Is your competitor using design better than you are? Ask your most trusted friends.
Design is a powerful tool, it’s easy to use, and it can be done quickly. It may be your only differentiator.
Think different.
Good design pays. Because we buy with our eyes.
Ken Gasque is president of Gasque Marketing and Advertising. We develop brands, create identities and grow businesses. Ken can be reached at [email protected] and you can read his blog at www.gasque.com
