The Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz wasn’t originally designed with a heart because he’s, well, a machine. Yet it was the heart he wanted and inevitably needed. Are brands in a similar position?
- He opined: “When a man’s an empty kettle he should be on his mettle, and yet I’m torn apart. Just because I’m presumin’ that I could be kind-a-human, If I only had a heart…”
Brands and businesses function primarily on a Tin Man platform — the operating mechanics of product innovation, production and go-to-market always occupying first chair in priorities and investment. While matters of the brand’s heart may not appear to be relevant or attention worthy.
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The Tin Man is a woodcutter, so what does heart have to do with his calling? Does it make him a better woodcutter? Is being ‘kind-a-human’ an advantage?
This leads us to an important strategic point about the influence of culture change on commerce and brand building.
The world has dramatically changed, and people no longer trust the assertions or claims made by brands. Meanwhile the consumer’s earnest search for brands offering deeper meaning, beliefs and recognizable values has recast the relationship between brand and user.
We Have Entered A New Era Of Humanizing Brands
This presages another important strategic challenge…
Our first critical imperative: the brand that gets closest to the customer wins. And second: the road to customer relationships and engagement is paved with lifestyle relevance, trust and higher purpose. Why?
Because it’s no longer enough —
to make a great product
to look and taste good
to secure broad distribution
to be made with simple, real and authentic ingredients
to participate in social communities
to gain attention in earned and social media channels
The relationships people have with the brands they care about look increasingly like the same kind they have with friends and loved ones. Conditions of trust, reciprocity, genuine caring and higher purpose come into play to create transcendence – where consumers join the brand’s “why” – it’s mission– as believers and advocates.
Yes, brands now require a heart and soul. Heart means the business doesn’t look at its customers as walking transactions. Nor should they focus solely on their product feature and benefit story. Rather the brand functions as a coach and enabler on relevant customer lifestyle aspirations and needs. Your brand can become a true source of deeper meaning and inspiration; a guide and teacher, a provider of resources and experiences — this is the outcome of having a heart.
Cultural Uncertainty Serves To Multiply The Value Of Heart-Led Brands
You already know that culture change impacts brand relevance and so we have an obligation to track these shifts and what they mean as it unfolds.
We are now in the midst of what could best be described as a cultural flood of ambiguity and transformation. It is an unprecedented time where contradictions, conflicting truths, and change rock the center of what people believe about social norms and relationships. The outcome of this societal upheaval feels a bit strange to many people who are increasingly turning inward and introspective. Two examples —
- A recent Harris Poll tells us that the vast majority of Gen Z consumers would easily substitute pets for children because they’re less disruptive and expensive to care for. Clearly a shift in lifestyle priorities away from family to furry wards.
- Jasmine Bina of the Concept Bureau flags the emergence of Mommunes, where single mothers cohabitate and raise children together. It is an outcome, she describes, of the de-centering of romantic relationships while centering more on friendships. Evidence perhaps that the person you fall in love with vs. the one you trust may not be the same person.
This evolutionary condition challenges accepted behaviors while delivering added uncertainty in the process. In the midst of this change brands have an opportunity to help guide people through these transitions that greatly challenge conventional thinking and comfort zones.
The Tin Man lesson is clear — when you need a heart for the right reasons, you should manifest one. Marketers are in the brand heart and soul business, helping identify, refine and activate that core purpose — and leverage key strategies that come after it to push greater meaning onto the company’s operational shirtsleeve.
In business terms, what benefit is derived from having a real heart? Ironically as a trusted partner on life’s increasingly upside-down journey, it paves the yellow brick road to more transactions.
Contributed to Branding Strategy Insider by Robert Wheatley, CEO of Chicago-based Emergent, The Healthy Living Agency.
At The Blake Project, we help clients worldwide, in all stages of development, define and articulate what makes them competitive and valuable. Please email us to learn how we can help you compete differently.
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