It’s every marketing leader’s dream that the brand they represent is adopted by customers as their own. The former CEO of Harley-Davidson®, Richard Teerlink summed up branding and loyalty marketing best when he said “There are very few products that are so exciting that people will tattoo your logo on their body.” How does a brand create a passionate almost cult-like following? I’m going to share with you some famous brands and what I believe is the secret to this phenomenon.
Harley-Davidson has successfully created a community of loyal customers. They come from every walk of life, but have one thing in common – they love Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Not only do H-D customers tattoo the logo on their bodies, they have H-D logoed leather jackets, pants, helmets, gloves, boots, wallets, jewelry and the list goes on. H-D customers more than relate to the brand. They are the brand.
Starbucks® has successfully transformed the way we think about buying a cup of coffee. Starbucks is more than coffee, it has become meeting place with friends and a status symbol. I believe that it’s not the coffee that makes Starbucks special, it’s the experience that they created with their brand. They have even transformed our language. What ever happened to ordering a small, medium and large coffee? The sizes at Starbucks are Tall, Grande and Venti. You will commonly hear people order a Venti Caramel Brulée Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème with extra whipped cream instead of a large black coffee. By transforming the Starbucks brand into an experience, they can charge a premium for a cup of coffee and customers gladly pay it. Customers walk around with their Starbucks logoed coffee cups like a badge of honor. The café is more like your family room than a coffee shop. Starbucks has created a community.
Starbucks took their successful model into the tea market by purchasing Teavana®. They replicated the Starbucks model with Teavana, which allows them to charge a premium. Teavana customers will pay it because they love the brand and the experience when you go into a Teavana store. You can taste tea samples and smell the different aromas. Is Teavana the best tea brand in the world? Some may think so but Twinings™, Celestial Seasonings®, Lipton® and Bigelow® might disagree. Teavana has made the experience the brand.
Another example of a brand becoming an experience is Jeep®. In 1954 when Jeep was owned by Willys Motors, they started an off-road tradition called the Jeep Jamboree. Jeep 4×4 owners have the opportunity to join off-road adventures in various locations across the US. It is more than just owning a Jeep. It’s a community of owners who love the Jeep brand and want new experiences with like-minded owners.
Building brand communities are what these successful companies have done. It’s more than just a product, it’s an experience. When your brand becomes part of your customer’s identity, you have a customer for life.
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Photo credit: Daniel Y. Go via Foter.com / CC BY-NC
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