World acclaimed branding expert Marc Gobé, author of the completely revised and updated edition of his visionary classic book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People - Revised Edition, was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions on his book and on his ideas about branding.
Marc Gobé shares his ideas on social media and community building as powerful forces in consumer empowerment in the marketplace. He describes the critical importance of understanding the rise of women in marketing, and their impact on others through social media and online engagement. He discusses the need to recognize the differences in cross generational marketing, as well as engaging the cutting edge gay and lesbian community.
Thanks to Marc Gobé for his time and his intriguing and informative answers.
What was the background to writing this book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People - Revised Edition?
Marc Gobé: I wrote my first book because I felt that people love brands but that brands did not love people back. The subconscious connection between brands and people is often overlooked by brands. What we pay for things, the brands we wear or drive and the brands we consume are a way for us to send a message to others, build our self esteem or provide us with a reward. We don’t buy products but ideas.
You make what seems to be an obvious statement in the book that people are the most important part of branding. Why has this simple concept been ignored by branding and marketing?
Marc Gobé: Most companies still have a factory mentality, a manufacturing centric tradition or a reliance on engineering that dominates the creative process. Businesses are about results, efficiency and cost of goods. Consumers are about emotions, experiences and imagination. Unless people are understood to be the ultimate decision makers many opportunities will be lost.
Are the old ways of branding obsolete in an online and wired world?
Marc Gobé: What we are seeing worldwide is the weakening of old media such as TV commercials and Billboards. People are spending more time in front of a computer screen talking to their friends or on a cell phone texting or chatting. Social media has helped create active and dynamic communities of like minded people who prefer to find out about brands from their friends. NBC and Fox are seeing the future of Television to become more an on –demand proposition with less commercial messaging, their large investment in Hulu.com is testimony to that. You can now watch your favorite programs when you want it and where you want it with less interruption form the commercial message.
How has social media changed the way that branding has evolved?
Marc Gobé: The updated version of Emotional Branding includes winning strategies in the age of social media. It has been released this month and while working on it I realized that brands do not belong to corporations anymore but people. The Coca Cola Facebook page with 4 million followers was not even designed or created by Coke but the fans of the brand. This is the most fundamental change, instead of pushed communication as we have known it, brands will have to engage in a two way conversation.
Marc Gobé (photo left)
How have the three generations - Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials - had an impact on branding and marketing?
Marc Gobé: The Baby Boomers were the most impactful group. In the United States, their numbers over shadowed the next generation “Gen X” but this group is now slowly retiring. Now, the Baby Boomers values that were based on an Utopic reality are challenged by new generations that have to inherit and face a more difficult world, one that has been affected by pollution and excess. If you have watched the film WALL-E and everyone in the branding business should see it , it shows very well the ideas i am discussing here.
Millenials or the Y generation is bringing a large demographic whose values will transform how we consume information and even buy goods. The Gen X and Y that I call “ xY” in my new book are the change agent that will rely on new technologies to manage their lives. This will bring new opportunities for commerce online not unlike Zappos.com that has transformed commerce online by leveraging the power of the web to bring forward the most advance form of service.
How are women, the multicultural society, and the gay and lesbian community having an impact on branding and marketing?
Marc Gobé: Women influence 85% of all buying so they are the shoppers in chief, the most powerful consumer group, yet still the one marketers fail to understand. It is now common knowledge that one of the reason for the demise of the American Auto industry is their failure to connect with women with appropriate products. Most importantly women dominates the online dialogue 55% vs 45% to men, they own social media and Brands have to get into that conversation.
The Gay community is a trendsetting community that helps make some brands cool or fashionable. Their influence has been defining for a lot of brands such as VW in America so it is very important to understand those groups and the impact they could have on the success of your business.
You write in the book that sensorial experiences are the uncharted territory of branding. What do you mean by that idea?
Marc Gobé: We are people who feel, we want to touch, we need to be stimulated with our senses. The problem with a lot of brands is that they are trying to commoditize the brand experience. You find soups, gourmet foods and dog food sold in the same cans! We recall fondly sensory experiences such as a great songs or a smell from our childhood that has an emotional resonance, to be successful brands have to engage people with all their senses.
How can imagination and innovation be used effectively in developing a brand by engaging the emotions?
Marc Gobé: People want their brands to surprise them, to wow them and show them the future. That is the reason why Apple is so successful, it makes us dream. Emotionally we gravitate towards progress, this is human nature and brands that understand that are winning in the market place.
What is the future of emotional branding in an internet based world?
Marc Gobé: Emotional branding is about connecting brands with people and this is what the internet is all about …connections! On line the most important word is “sharing” if an idea is not re-tweeted or shared on Facebook it has no value. Which means that the more emotional your message the most likely it will have an impact that exponentially can reach a lot of people. Some of the branded videos that you see on YouTube are reaching millions of people because they are worth sharing. This is the biggest ever opportunity for brands to create a powerful dialogue with consumers, to learn from them to innovate with them. The best research tool ever invented.
What is next for Marc Gobé?
Marc Gobé: I am doing a full feature documentary on Emotional Branding My favorites brands:
* Barak Obama because it broke a powerful barrier Race
* Coca Cola because it motivated me to come to America
* Twitter: @mgobe because it is transforming
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My book review of Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People - Revised Edition by Marc Gobé.
