When you buy something from a brand, you have made a conscious decision to align with it.
You have decided to associate yourself with that business. And, like making a new friend on the playground, you have become an advocate and supporter of whatever they believe in. For better or for worse.
It’s unfair to presume that we align with everything a brand does and stands for, but it ain’t no secret that we live in an unfair world. You will be judged by someone for your choice in brand – there’s no escaping that.
Despite this, we need to buy things. And many of us are confident enough to stand by our decisions regardless of what others say.
This is the space that most brands choose to live in. The safe space. Not offending anyone in order to please everyone. ‘We’re for millennials’ they say, followed by ‘but if we attract Gen Z that would be great too’.
It’s not enough.
It’s not enough to be generic. To be polite and open to all. To be ‘whatever the customer wants’.
The best advice I can give from branding businesses pre and post AI, is to not build a brand at all. Instead, build a cult. Build something cool. Something people want to wear everyday. Make it ooze confidence. Make it bold, brave and full of life. Give it meaning, a conscience – a soul even. Make it for one group of people and be clear about it.
If I buy into this brand, I will be a part of this cult. And being a part of this cult makes me something new. Something cool. Self-assured. Evolved. Judge me all you want.
