“Have you ever wondered why we like to buy luxury items? Let’s take my Versace sunglasses for example. What if it had a logo so small that it was barely visible? Is it still worth the buy if no one can tell it’s by Versace?
Why do we act this way? And how do you think we can apply it to our own businesses?”
Read this comment because Nicole nailed it –
http://tofurious.com/2010/07/brand-association-marketing-strategy/#comment-7302
It is by no means an implication that you should don yourself with fashionable ensemble. This reference is only intended to bridge the concept of how association works.
Your shopaholic,
Lawrence Chan
P.S. Read Sophie Kinsella’s books!
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[...] Don’t get me started on, “there’s nothing wrong with a Walmart purse.” There isn’t. If it’s pure utility you’re looking for, a recycled grocery bag will do the same job. It is a matter of perception. If you perceive yourself feeling better wearing ____ purse, then that’s the one-up in brand association. [...]
This was reiterated to me by Jerry Ghionis a few weeks ago in his workshop and it is so true. I am a lover of a certain high end shoe and I am in the middle of my rebranding. I will use these shoes as a starting point for my rebranding. It really works. People love luxury items and if your branding reminds them of their fav brand or even if they can’t pinpoint why they like your logo/brand, it is still positive. Great post!
Hehe as nice as shoes are, I was trying to reference to a more powerful brand association. Think harder! Push the envelope!
A logo isn’t a brand. Coca-Cola’s red color and unchanging logo, Tiffany’s signature robin’s egg blue box, Nike’s swoosh – those aren’t what pull people in. Those things only meant something AFTER a brand was established. Don’t confuse a logo with a brand. Branding is about targeting your demographic, not duplicating similar logos.
I would hope the workshop you reference wasn’t “how to infringe on copyright/trademark 101″ because while one can be inspired by a logo/identity “look” – using it as a reason to re-brand is underhanded at best. I know what you’re trying to say – it just comes off a little wrong. Just sayin’.
A logo or color is a shallow approach / tactical marketing of which it might project a vibe or trigger certain emotions.
What I was trying to do was provoke thoughts beyond brands we wear and etc. My question was how we can use said attractions (be it logo or brand or whatever) to apply into our own businesses.
I did not give the answer as I am a firm believer of proactive thinking. One person here did get what I was saying though. The next question is how to proceed.
Thanks for this video. Branding seems to be what I am struggling with most lately. Mostly, trying to come up with branding that really is true to who I am without being too much. With probably close to a hundred revisions, I think I’m close to being there. It’s one of the hardest things about my business venture that I never foresaw.
You could use this sort of brand association within your photography business by associating your business with other businesses that attract or cater to the type of client you want to work with. If you want to work with a high end client you have to be the high end brand and you can’t do that by associating yourself with low budget businesses because those businesses are attracting people who have a low budget and can’t afford you.
BINGO, Nicole!
The next question is which brands will work for our industry.
Perfect business sense
It’s why people will pay $1200 for a Burberry purse or drool over the Audi R8. Sure, there’s quality. But what is at the heart of it? A purchase that makes you feel better about yourself and where you are in life
I drool over an R-8 because its drool-worthy. That is all. LOL
nice! I am actually struggling through fonts right now. I totally agree on existing fave brand fonts. I saw a sandwhich delivery trolley with a font that made me think ‘i really want a sandwhich from there’. the name and font screamed quality and integrity which now I remember is a font of a fave brand of mine. I am thinking of using a branding solution such as ITDR. Any company or homegrown process suggestions?
I automatically thought of Jasmine Star when I watched this – everything she does in her business from the way her blog looks, to her facebook status updates to the photos she posts have a certain glamorous feel about them that has become clearly associated with the j* brand.
I want to achieve this, but the problem is figuring out how to establish yourself as a ‘luxury’/boutique/high end/world travelling wedding photographer in a way that is just different enough from the others out there that it sets you apart from the throng of photographers.
I think embedding your unique personality into the brand is essential but there is definitely more to it than that…
There, now I need some of your pearls of wisdom!
Every time I watch one of your videos my wheels start to turn a little – thanks for that!
On the other hand – and this ties into your previous Jamba Juice commentary – know your market. Personally, I would never spend $300 for Versace sunglasses. ($300 Coach purse? A rare treat. Not for sunglasses – too easy to break or lose.) I don’t care for most luxury brands. So by choice, I limit my association with them. My target market, the niche of people I want to work with, feel much the same way. They don’t lust after luxury brands. Knowing that, I can factor it into how I portray my brand, what I partner with, etc.
This then makes it a fine line I have to walk. Kate Spade or Coach? Fine. But not a $1500 bag. But I still must make my brand have a value to them, and be something that they want to show off & share that they too are associated with my brand, that they are one of my clients, that they are elevated by that.
Great video!
PS – Comments without names here make it hard to read. Wasn’t sure if you knew the names were missing from the comments?
The goal wasn’t talking about the common lust for a certain brand – be it luxury, moderate, conservative or etc. The goal of the video is to elicit the fact that we do associate to certain things for certain reasons. Therefore, the question is how does one use it for his/her own business.
And thanks for the author name notice – I fixed it right away.
hanks Nicole…you said exactly what I couldn’t type:)
I find a lot of the same words used in this video and the other videos without explanation. To me its mostly fluff with very little substance. Provoking thoughts from people without direction is just philosophy. It would be helpful to see some kind of applicable information.
Well, Mr. Jacobus – the discussion happens in the comments! Check out what Nicole said here.
There are no direct answers. Trust me, think it through and you will find the solutions!
Cheers!
love this clip/piece you did Lawrence. so true about what influences us to buy certain things. i think too that old saying “repetition is the mother of retention”. If you say something long enough it will evidentually stick and i think that goes with all the different brands trying to overload us with their logos/products etc. thanks for sharing! it definitely is making me think of ways i can up my status
What I am getting from this and then by reading the comments…to me…the point is one that I will be thinking about seriously…I am not looking at this by way of evaluating a look or font or logo or anything visually….I am taking from this that the association and how it can relate to me and my business is what is being questioned. While I try to be as flexible and reasonable without sacrificing quality in what I offer my clients…that may or may not get the point across because we all pretty much say the same things about ourselves in our “about me” section….but…what is it that is going to get them to choose ME?? Perhaps, it is based on my association….if I work with other businesses that portray the high society or luxury feeling (if that is what I want my clients to feel about me)…perhaps that will improve my chances of being chosen!? It doesn’t have to be an association with the most expensive partners out there as it depends on the type of market I am trying to involve myself with. So, being strategic with who else I work with and associate with could make the difference I am looking to achieve given they are also producing a quality product themselves.
Thanks for the thought provoking videos and articles.
Associations come in many forms. It doesn’t necessarily have to be with other companies.
For example…
Restaurant 1 – serves great food and reasonably priced per Yelp reviews, and has won 15 food awards.
- vs. -
Restaurant 2 – serves great food and reasonably priced per Yelp reviews.
With no bias and knowledge of these two restaurants, which will be your first choice? This is similar to our own industry, agreed? Just take out “Restaurant” and replace with “Photographer.”
To be honest, it’s a form of mental shortcut.
Let’s just say you pull over the road in an unfamiliar place and saw these two restaurants. One had lots of cars and one had a couple of cars (probably for employees). Which restaurant would you dine at? And let’s throw a wrench into the equation – consider that you’ve never saw the Yelp reviews…and I’ve never mentioned whether they’re international awards or just local awards.
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When I started doing higher end weddings, I started to realize that the real rich people were very relaxed about what they wore, what they drove, etc. If they drove nice cars, it was because of quality, not to “be seen”. Flashy items are purchased by posers. People who have truly “made it” want to play down the topic, not flash around bling, as this type of behavior is considered boorish and tasteless. And if you are a poser, a truly established person can smell that like body odor. I would suggest being the real you – honest, sincere, genuine and humble. That works in any social class.
Hey Gary,
Stoked that you commented on my blog! Anyway, I wasn’t in any way implying that one should act disingenuously.
I find that association does not necessarily need to be monetarily. A restaurant with a Yelp sticker on its window already makes me more comfortable eating there since the owner was likely to be satisfied with his/her rating. I don’t know the rating, but I don’t really need to.
Anyway, it was probably a misleading blog title. My fault. Thanks for your input!
Sincerely,
Lawrence
I completely agree with the above commenter. Flashy items are for posers :)