How to create a brand that turns customers into die-hards

In an age where data-driven digital marketing has change into a science, you’d think that consumer understanding could be measurable and predictable.

But it isn’t that easy.

Take the music industry for example. From iPod to Spotify – twenty first place in the industry^streetdigitization has been a century-old story. Nowadays, virtually every song ever created is available on the Internet for free. But in 2010, an analog zombie rose from the grave: vinyl.

In 2023, vinyl records overtook CD sales for the first time since 1997 and sold $1.2 billion price copies throughout the country. This transformation surprised industry leaders. United Records has had to put a lot of effort into upgrading its production lines to meet consumer demands, and most of the machines it uses are 50-60 years old.

The vinyl resurgence is a perfect case study in consumer unpredictability.

In one way or one other, consumers all the time surprise us. Of course, only a handful of individuals want the deep, authentic sound of vinyl. Other consumers enjoy thrifting at stores like Poshmark and Depop in the era of fast fashion. Some crunch on Magic Spoon’s keto cereal despite health concerns causing the cereal’s popularity to decline.

These consumers are the most respected to capture because they go against the grain. If they were like everyone else, they might simply demand the best product at the lowest price. However, because their purchasing decisions are tied to their identity, they are willing to spend more and reap the benefits of all of your brand offers.

Based on research by Brynna Mann, managing director of strategic growth and innovation at Cherry Bekaert, this text discusses the most significant steps in building an identity-driven brand. At the end of the article, we’ll examine the importance of aspiration, authenticity, anticipation of needs and the ultimate secret of making an irresistible brand.

Part 1: Dolls and motorcycles, models of aspiration

What do American Girl and Harley-Davidson have in common?

At first it could look like nothing. American Girl builds smart girls, and Harley-Davidson builds motorcycles for tough men. But that’s what they have in common: a consciously defined goal demographic.

Without a defined identity, you can’t change into a lifestyle brand. This identity must strive to connect a group that has never been connected before. It have to be aspirational but achievable. It must embody a whole personality that consumers can discover with and subsequently want to subscribe to. It needs to create a “club” that consumers desperately want to be a a part of. And once they get there, they stay there for life.

American Girl’s brand ambition is empowerment. Their website guarantees that they will help “every girl find the inspiration to be the best of her kind and develop a strong mind and spirit.” Through its dolls, books and online games, American Girl cultivates a forged of characters who encourage girls to grow into confident young women who have the freedom to joyfully discover themselves.

This strong brand identity has attracted generations of young women to the American Girl brand. Today, moms pass on to their daughters the dolls they grew up with. Families make pilgrimages to several experience and immersion shops scattered across the country. There they pay for recent hairstyles and mini baked goods for their dolls.

It also strengthens Harley-Davidson’s aspirational brand identity. It’s about freedom and riot. At the same time, the brand promotes a sense of brotherhood among owners. When you purchase one of their motorcycles, you are introduced to a group of outsiders who value the timeless virtues of fine craftsmanship and rugged individuality.

The strength of Harley-Davidson’s identity also attracted a multigenerational customer base. Today, the brand is beneficial enough to generate income without being on a motorcycle. 5% of the company’s revenue comes from licensing logos for all the pieces from Christmas decorations to video games. There are Harley-Davidson owners’ clubs throughout the world, and people go to Milwaukee just to tour the factory positioned at their headquarters.

Part 2: Authentic ice cream

Of course, you may’t just snap your fingers and create a brand identity that’s as magnetic as American Girl or Harley-Davidson. Strong brands are the results of an arduous journey of trial and error, and the first key step on this journey is authenticity.

Cultivating authenticity could seem paradoxical. After all, the fastest way to show inauthenticity is to try to pretend to be authentic. Without a doubt, many brands have fallen into this trap. They follow a social trend that everyone finds funny, or make bullshit statements about social issues that everyone is outraged about. Why do these gestures often seem misplaced? Because they are trying to attract everyone’s attention.

The first step in building authenticity is accepting that you will not please everyone. You don’t actually need to please everyone. Remember that you would like to reach consumers in your area who to want go against the grain.

What would American Girl be if she made dolls for everyone? What would Harley-Davidson be like if it sold as a general motorcycle brand? First, these would not be brands that people would get on a plane with to higher connect with.

Ben and Jerry’s is a perfect example of a brand that is not afraid to be itself. Throughout its history, Ben and Jerry’s has advocated for issues that are necessary to its leadership. For over 40 years, they have not hesitated to say what they imagine is right, on topics ranging from racial justice to same-sex marriage.

Discussing controversial topics could seem disastrous, but it strengthened Ben and Jerry’s identity. When Unilever acquired the brand in 2000, it encouraged them to proceed to consider social activities as a part of their brand identity because they understood it was the cornerstone of their brand. Some people may not prefer it, but they can not deny that it’s Ben and Jerry’s.

Part 3: Turning Novices into Fanatics

Building a brand for a smaller, area of interest audience could seem counterintuitive. Are you scaring away potential customers? In some cases, perhaps so. However, you furthermore may encourage customers who have acquired your brand to spend extra money.

Relevance at every stage of the customer journey is the foundation of a lifestyle brand that brings all the pieces together. A brand that can provide its tribe what it wants before it even needs it is a brand that will likely be showered with money by legions of loyal consumers. This means being aware of what attracts and retains customers and all the time being willing to innovate to meet the specific needs of your goal group.

Nespresso is a great example of a product brand that blends into someone’s life. For a Nespresso fan, the day does not begin until he connects the capsule to the machine. But to be a truly loyal Nespresso drinker, you wish to invest in infrastructure, a machine and some pods. It’s a hard sell to someone who’s never tried it before.

That’s why Nespresso has a plan to seduce recent customers. In Nespresso stores, which are positioned in city centers and shopping malls, passers-by can stop and have a drink. If they prefer it, they may visit the Nespresso website and see that it offers gift cards for their first and second coffee orders, which prompts the recent customer to make a purchase.

Soon, the Nespresso convert bought two different machines. Nespresso maintains the loyalty of those consumers by providing recent and interesting flavors.

Even if your brand has a strong lifestyle proposition, people won’t ever have the opportunity to incorporate it into their lives without a plan to acquire recent customers. The Nespresso model shows an effective way to attract and retain a customer base.

Every industry has a group of consumers that a strong lifestyle brand can connect with. However, because each group is heterogeneous, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The insights in this text will illuminate your path to becoming a lifestyle brand, but there isn’t any easy way to get to the end.

Now is your probability to go out and discover that final secret: your unique identity your the brand brings to the world.