BUSINESS:

WHY 'POINT OF VIEW'?

There's a lot of commentary on 'branding' online. While most is intended to provoke new thinking, or at least join ongoing discussions, some has more to do with launching a new kool-aid flavor than illuminating the topic.

And then there's the one I read recently, which actually did both. It was on "brands with a point of view." It sounded short-minded and light-footed, but it made me think: can a brand have a point of view?

The quick, clear answer is no. Customers certainly do, and companies should (but most barely get there.)

Companies better have a point of view if they aspire to connect with their customers. And the customer's point of view is not only the key to establishing a relationship, but these days, it's actually the key to business health.

What's left for the brand to do is to stage the intersection of their views. Infuse the company's perspective in every aspect of the relationship between the company and its customers (product, delivery, communications and community actions.) Make the company's point of view clear and visible. Mark it so that it can be marketed.

One could jump to conclusions and think that 'point of view' is really the 'value proposition'. But I'd argue that it's more than that. In these heavily mediated times, when businesses, places and communities are forced to become publishers, 'point of view' is a broader idea, made even stronger by the fact that it belongs with the institution, not the brand.

You see, it seems to me that in the aforementioned soup of brand discussion, much of the confusion comes from conceiving brands as metaphysical entities (a shadow business, to borrow from the political ether) that is responsible for all aspects of performance. Nonsense. Not only is that view off, it also limits the role the brand can actually play in honing a company's competitive profile and extending the customer relationship.

What I like about 'point of view' is that, if I had to prepare one for a client, I'd be forced to study their vision, mission, values, brand strategy and identity, product portfolio, HR programs, NPD, CRM, CSR, etc. to create a new type of 'deliverable'. One that actually cuts across all structures and hierarchies to change the way that company talks and behaves. One that explains to its customers and community what the company is about and what to expect from it. One that sparks a connection.

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