Divine Branding

(First published in Professional Marketing Magazine - February 2008)

Once upon a time in a land far far away lived a man named Sid (Siddhartha). Sid was born into wealth, yet at 29 after marrying and having a child he decided to leave his kingdom in search of a greater understanding of life. After 6 years, and despite almost starving to death, Sid changed his name and began to teach a way of living to all people. In doing so, Sid, now Buddha, started one of the first and oldest religions…and brands. Whether Krishna, Buddha, Abraham, Jesus or Muhammad, these people began something amazing. Millions of people talk about them, wear things that represent them, insist that their children also pledge allegiance to them, and unfortunately even kill other people in misconstrued faith for them. If a religion were a commercial brand, it would be blockbuster, making Coke or McDonalds look very average.

Through examining the way in which religion works, brands can learn how to attract, keep and promote in a way that builds brand equity and advocacy.

The Story

A brand must have a story behind it. Moses was found in the reeds and as a man parted a sea to help his followers escape. Henry Ford at 40 started a corporation that built the very first automobile. A brand story is critical in establishing brand roots and satisfying natural human curiosity and a desire of ‘proof’ before commitment.

Many brand don’t spend enough time developing and reciting the story of their birth. It is from this story that people build a deep sense of purpose and legitimacy. Imagine Microsoft without Bill Gates or Dick Smith’s PowerHouse without Dick. Have your story well documented and readily accessible to customers and shareholders.

Signs & Symbols

In the time it takes me to write this article, 2,000 people worldwide will have had a crucifix or yin yang tattooed on their body. Brand symbolism is an area of branding that receives much attention. From  ‘Logos for Dummies’ to Naomi Klein’s best seller ‘No Logo’, the visual identity of a brand is one of the first things that marketers think of…and rightly so. Over 65% of people respond best to visual stimulation. This figure is increasing due to new technologies and visual learning tools being used more and more in human infancy.

Interestingly, logo shape and colour biases have been found to be generation specific, which means whilst Baby Boomers love your new logo, Gen Y are referring to it as ‘pox’ on their personal anti-establishment Blog.

In recent years some organisations have spent literally millions on establishing their visual identity.  BHP Billiton reportedly spent 4 Million perfecting their ‘blobs’ and whilst BP (UK) paid almost double that for their ‘green sun’. No need to bankrupt your brand to fund a new logo, however do spend resources defining the logo that best resonates authentically with your market position.

Language & Jargon

The Buddhist talks about ‘enlightenment’ and rebirth, the Christian; ‘heaven purgatory and hell’, and ‘reincarnation’ is a central belief of those of the Hindu faith. All religion has proprietary language that helps unify members, or those with an allegiance.

Strong brands also have their own language. Everything that leaves the Apple warehouse is called ‘I’ something - iPhone, iPod, iMac. Furthermore when you use a Mac you must also learn new terms like ‘the dock’, ‘time machine’ and   ‘spaces’. When used correctly, brand jargon helps build credibility and gives people a sense of ownership and belonging. Advertising agencies cottoned on to this a long time ago and began labeling processes with highly creative names (e.g. WIP, Brand DNA, Conceptual target etc).

Promises & Faith

When Moses returned from Mount Sinai, he came with two tablets that detailed a way of living that would bode well for your chances of a desirable afterlife. Similarly, the Buddha offers us an eightfold path to enlightenment and Jesus gives many lessons as to inherit the kingdom of heaven. All of these acts and suggestions are a way of stating a brand promise; ‘if you interact with us you will get…’

Brand promises create desirable expectations in the mind of your customer and provide a clear motivation as to why someone should buy your story and therefore product or service.

Rituals & Ceremonies

Without exception all religions involve annual rituals and ceremonies. Everything from sacrificing animals, removing a young boy’s foreskin and starving, to eating chocolate bunnies can be the order of the day when it comes to demonstrating your advocacy for your faith.

Similarly, strong brands also incorporate various traditions. If you go to McDonalds on a particular weekend of the year, you will find Kyle Sandilands or some other quasi celebrity volunteering their time for ‘McHappy Day’. Virgin Blue offers specials at certain times that represent their ‘happy hour’. Rituals and ceremonies are another way that strong brands (and religion) interact with their market.

Propaganda & Promotion

Be it a fish sticker on a car window or a canvas sign outside the local church that reads “He died for your sins”, religion has been promoting itself since its creation. The early ‘prophets’ and current day Jehovah’s Witness door knock initiatives are based on promoting a philosophy or concept.  This is not really so different from television advertising or a brand’s latest outdoor ad, aside form the bells, whistles and creative quality.

This is however not one for most religion’s strengths, in fact for some it is off-brand to overtly promote itself. We marketers would probably refer to this a viral approach.

Brand Behaviour  - Code of Conduct

My grandmother kept her “Sunday best’ is a special section of the wardrobe. Every Sunday she got dressed up and drove up to the local church with my grandfather.  When they got to church people smiled pleasantly at one another with an air of dignity, mutual respect intertwined with hushed tones. It was as if ‘politeness’ was the basis of the faith.  Conversely, go to a Jewish wedding and expect to suffer an injury as the groom enters, gets thrown onto a chair and tossed around the room, often belting unsuspecting patrons in the face with the odd limb. All religions have an unspoken code of conduct that defines the ‘feel’ of membership.

Strong brands also have a very subtle ‘feel’ to them that is often a result of organics interaction rather than a stated brand behaviour. Starbucks encourages casual discussion, checked shirts and old jeans, and if you don’t throw a pickle on the window at McDonalds, then you are off-brand.

Visual Language
Wear a small round hat on your head, dress in a burqa or don’t cut your hair ever and wear it in a turban. All of these things represent the visual language of particular religions. They are distinct and clearly distinguish one religion from another, much like a branded T-shirt or the style guide of a brand.

Distinction and unique appeal are what a brand lives and dies by. Visual language / brand recognition is the first stop on the way to brand advocacy.

Ambassadors
Its 8am, you are on a train when a man approaches you and tell you that he will ‘save’ you. You wonder which pub opened early and get off at the next station. Despite this being your safest bet, you may have missed out on hearing from a Christian ambassador looking to save you from your life of sin and future as Satan’s play toy.

All religions have ambassadors. People dedicated to recruiting new members. Strong brands also have ambassadors. Some of the better ones include John Travolta for Qantas. Some of the lesser ambassadors can be found behind the Citibank stand at the domestic terminal…and Tom Cruise…enough said.

Word of Mouth
According to basically everyone, the best kind of promotion is word-of-mouth and customer advocacy. Well look no further than religion to show you how this is done. If you are born from a Jewish mother, then by default, you become Jewish. What an awesome ‘dob in a friend promotion’. If you are from a Christian family your first name is referred to as your ‘Christian name’ …sneaky, and if you are a Scientologist, you can make a few bucks by recruiting people. Some of the best brand recruitment schemes come from religion. In fact in many cases, religion makes above the line advertising appear very unsophisticated. There is nothing more persuasive than the intimacy of a friend or family member sharing their heart-felt belief about something.

Exclusivity (to exclude others)
You must learn the ceremonial practices and protocol, profess your faith, and in most instances commit your soul to a religion before you can be part of it. In some cases you are not allowed in if you were born in a particular part of the world.

Brand and religion share a high degree of Exclusivity. The more exclusive, the more desirable to either involve oneself or oppose oneself.

The Wrap
In conclusion, this year when you sit down to review your brand and marketing plans, think Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and Buddha. Consider the way in which they have built mass followings and unwavering advocacy.

The main lesson from upstairs is, in order to build brand equity and advocacy, help people feel like your brand is part of their personal identity. History suggest that religion has mastered this, now it’s your turn.