3 SECRETS TO BRAND YOURSELF AND STAND OUT
FROM THE CROWD
Brand Yourself and Stand Out From the Crowd
Article by Minling Chuang
Philosophy of People
Magazine: Issue #18
Ever wonder…
Why Apple still has people lining up in front of the store to buy one of their new products?
Why Lululemon was able to sell $98 yoga pants?
Why people spend thousands of dollars on a Chanel handbag?
Two words.
Great branding.
And by great branding, I’m not talking about the logos, graphics, advertisements, websites. Although it’s part of it.
These companies understand branding and the 3 secrets I’m about to share with you nailed down. Are you ready to find out their secret?
Drum Roll please…
One: They created an experience
Experience is everything. People are irrational when it comes to purchasing products. I mean, people are buying the iPhone 6 and 6+ less than a year after buying the iPhone 5. People are buying $98 yoga pants when they don’t even practice yoga. People are buying $4,000 bags from Chanel when they could buy a $10 bag from H&M. What these brands created was an unique experience – one that their customers can’t get anywhere else. They understood the irrational elements of purchasing a product. They aren’t selling products. They are selling their brand badge. They are selling something their customers can be proud to show off to others.
Ask yourself, what experience am I creating for my customer? What can my customers be proud of that they can’t get anywhere else?
Two: They crafted a story
Story sells. People don’t care about the features or benefits of the product. Again, humans are irrational creatures. We buy based on our feelings and emotions. Look all around you. All the advertisements are carefully crafted stories. Every commercial you watch started with a bunch of creative people brainstorming on the storyboard. Apple’s most famous commercial was their think different commercial from 1997.
Ask yourself, what’s my story? What story do I want to convey to my customer?
Three: They went against the norm
Uniqueness wins. All of these companies are unique and once went against the grain. Chanel liberated women from the constraints of the “corseted silhouette”. Cirque de Soleil created a different type of “circus”, one that was not focused on animals, but instead, on theatrics. Being unique is important because it makes you stand out and be memorable. Otherwise people can’t tell you apart from the rest of the competition.
Ask yourself, how am I unique? What’s something new I can bring to my customers?
Philosophy of People is a compilation of self-improvement articles written by entrepreneurs seeking to bring holistic solutions to everyday problems. Read more articles from our 2nd Year Anniversary issue.
Minling is the founder of {the JOY depot} and is on a mission to help new entrepreneurs start their dream business. She spent many years working on branding strategies for top brands like Lean Cuisine & Nestle Toll House and launching multimillion dollar products. Now Minling's passion is to help people create profitable businesses they love! And if you want to start your own business, book a clarity session with Minling >> The Joy Depot.