Understanding Micro-Interactions and the New Brand Ecosystem
May 11th, 2008 by Julia DebariTags: apple, barista, brand, brands, consumers, digital, ecosystem, google, interactions, micro, microsoft, starbucks, twitter, Web 2.0, yelp
If I mention Apple, the first person that pops into most people’s minds is Steve Jobs. If I mention Microsoft it is Bill Gates. They are the force behind these larger than life brands. What happens when they leave (as Bill Gates has and Steve Jobs did for a while)? Will the brands survive? I would say yes, as their personalities have become synonymous with their brands.
In this age of digital socialism, putting a personality and face with your brand is key, otherwise you could be lost in the sea of logos and marketing slogans. Just having a good product is no longer enough. People need something to identify with on an emotional level.
Building a brand in our intertwined world can be a difficult feat. However, just throwing some social interactions on your web site is not enough. You have to think about how the interactions will resonate within your company. More than ever, companies need evangelists. These people are the ones that give your brand that sparkling personality. The face and personality of the brand does not need to rest on the head of the CEO. Look at Starbucks, the face of their brand is every barista that works in every Starbucks across the country. They are the company’s evangelists. They are the people behind the brand.
The brand is now an ecosystem, made up of the micro interactions between every person in your company and every message your company sends out to the public.
People have a hard time connecting with things; they work better at relating to other humans. Having a face on a brand makes the consumer feel connected in some small way with a larger entity. They are connecting to the person, not the brand. If a consumer calls or emails customer support and is not treated in a respectful manner then that is a negative reflection upon the company brand. Then that person will tell another person or post the experience on a blog, and just like that, your brand has lost some of its luster. Customer support representatives, sales people, the receptionist, every single one of these people are the part of the face of the company brand.
You may not have a product that requires constant contact with the consumer like Google, Apple, or Microsoft, but including some transparency into your company, can act as a mental reminder to people awash with thousands of marketing messages a day.
10 Responses to “Understanding Micro-Interactions and the New Brand Ecosystem”
There\’s definitely no substitute for customer service, and a human touch. But as far as brand perceptions go, *things* are always more brand worthy than people, IMHO. How many people have you seen with a Phil Knight tattoo on their chest? Now think of how many people have Nike swoosh tattoos.
Similar thoughts:
http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2008/04/micro-interacti.html
Nice little app here called BrandTags. The idea is simple: a brand exists entirely in people’s heads. Therefore, whatever it is they say a brand is, is what it is.
Talk about Power to the People.
http://www.brandtags.net/index.php
Posted some related thoughts this morning: http://tinyurl.com/4uxh2j. Also, a very positive brand micro-interaction with a Starbucks barista recently: http://tinyurl.com/474lwc
To follow your Apple example, yes, brands benefit from Evangelists. Guy Kawasaki for a long time was an even more prominent front man for Apple than was Jobs. And, yes, every public-facing, customer-handling situation is an “evangelical” moment. But don’t overlook the tremendous visual consistency that is the entire body of Apple product, communications, packaging, advertising, etc. Hey, they even branded their original public stock certificates. It is all of these that – along with many variables that exceed a brand’s control that make a “brand.” And to Joe S’s point, a brand’s sum total is computed by the ultimate brand mathematicians – the customers. Gotta love em.
Ross, thanks for your comment. Although I would have to disagree about the brand perceptions just being about things. When people become synonymous with a brand they become a representative of the brand perception. However, since I just finished up a seminar with the AAAA so I may have been brainwashed.
In response to Aurelio’s comment, taking it a bit further, the overall consistency of the message of the brand, whether people, packaging, or the product is the sum of the brand perception. In this manner the “micro-interactions” of how the customers interact with a brand is reflected.
Steve’s comment is an excellent example.
I know there are digital picture frames that you can use all year, but, I was looking for a way to display them during the holidays, especially Christmas. I could only find one kind of digital photo ornament on the market and they only came in 3 colors and were round, kind of boring. Then the other day I came across a brand new digital photo ornament that is not even available yet, but the company is taking pre-orders and will start shipping in June ‘08. The digital photo ornaments are amazing and come in all shapes and sizes and they have free shipping.
taking it a bit further, the overall consistency of the message of the brand, whether people, packaging, or the product is the sum of the http://www.batteryfast.com brand perception.
Julia, I couldn’t agree more.
Mobile technology (specially) will demand brands to send very clear and consistent messages upon all touch points. As a customer, i’ll be able to simultaneously go to the store, check product reviews, watch commercials etc…. The art side of branding will be much more accountable.
The primary and basic principles of Branding & Marketing have shown to be immutabble in the digital era. They haven’t changed at all. In fact, they have been amplified!
Cheers
Gabriel Rossi-Brazil