I love color. I really do. It’s fascinated me for years and I still get a kick out of finding new color combinations or innovative applications for color theory. Today’s color, red, elicits passion and it just so happens to be my favorite color.
As the boldest hue of the spectrum, it stimulates energy, says desirable and confident, and encourages an enthusiastic response from those in its warm embrace. When used properly, it is heartfelt, authentic, and often used to represent significant moments in a long-term relationship.
Whether red is the right color for your product, brand or next campaign is part of a broader creative process, and one that will hopefully determine how to create that certain passion, zeal, and loyalty that your customers will have. Take a look at Virgin? Has Richard Branson ever put a foot wrong? Possibly, but customers still love his products whether they be banks, cell phones, transatlantic flights or any of his 300+ global brands. His fans are loyal; love his stunts and his near-death adventures.
Take another loved company with a strong, though sadly recently deceased leader – Apple. With iThis and iThat and iStores that are packed with passionate paying customers, I sometimes wonder if their fans go beyond making rational purchasing decisions or have transcended to a level of irrational love for everything Apple. And building a series of micro-stories around the nerd-like PC and the cool-kid on the block, Apple, really cemented their position in the market, not just here but on a global level.
Stories like this can really connect a company or product with their audience. It’s an approach that can place your brand authentically in the marketplace and allow for that passionate connection with your customers. It has to be told well and must be heartfelt. If you’re looking to create some passion for your product, uncovering the narrative elements of character, plot, setting, and perspective are essential tools for unleashing a brand’s hidden potential. But it doesn’t have to be all that serious. Take Old Spice. For years, the unwanted present from Grandma that ended up in the bin instead of the bathtub, but add a fantasy-like character that appeals to both male and female demographics, an engaging visual narrative with an ever changing plot – and the market’s perspective for this product took a 180-degree spin. The rebranding of this product was a total success and people love this product.
At the end of the day, great products and brands need passion. Not just by the creative team putting together the next campaign, but passion in the marketplace, from point-of-sale to final consumption and beyond. It’s the core of creating that long-term relationship with your customers and who knows, getting it right might turn into more than a simple affair, maybe even true love…for your product that is.
Check out Richard Branson’s blog
