You know who has a strong brand? Birkenstock. Do you know how you can tell? Because there is absolutely no way in hell that I would ever wear a pair. Consumer indifference kills brands. Luckily for Birkenstock, there is no indifference here. No way am I donning those dorky sandals, Jose.
Strong brands elicit strong responses. I’ve taught many-a-client that they should develop brands (and the materials the execute those brands, like ads, websites, etc.) that people 1) absolutely love, or 2) absolutely hate. There should be no middle ground. No gray area. That’s the safe zone–which is potentially a great strategy if your goal is to bore your market to death. But I’m guessing that’s not the best marketing and branding strategy for your bank or credit union.
I think about this principle a lot, and was struck by the way Fast Company’s recent article called “Just Say No” really nailed it. Bank and credit union marketers are some of the biggest violators of this basic rule. They tend to opt for safe solutions that nobody can get upset about…and consequently, can’t get excited about either. What if your bank measured brand success by “percentage of indifferent people”? I think that would be awesome.
After all, if I ask if your bank wants to be everything to everyone, you will undoubtedly say “no”–because that’s the response you think will make you sound smart. As soon as I ask you the basic follow-up question, then, you’re toast: “then who should absolutely not bank here; who should take their money elsewhere?” I have yet to hear a good, confident response to that one. Ahhh, so you ARE trying to be everything to everyone. That’s what I thought.
So get some guts and stop being that way. Know who you’re right for, and who you’re wrong for. Make the former love you; let the latter hate you. The stronger their feelings–positive or negative–the better. That’s how you build a strong bank or credit union brand.
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You tell em Jeff, ya northwest bred, nike wearing, european driving, latte drinking capitalist! It’s interesting I play this funny game at work where when I meet new people and we go out for dinner I bet them I can name the car they drive, usually in less than three guesses, and I usually get the brand right on the first go. We are a collection of brand affinity. We allow brands to define us as much as where we work, where we live and how we spend our time.