ZAPPOS

Zappos is an online shoe retailer with a call center that is a legend in its own time. Zappos employees aren’t trained to put the smallest band-aid possible on a problem. They are trained to surpass your expectations to such a degree that you might just think they’re joking when they offer you free overnight delivery of shoes you forgot to pack for a wedding the next day.

Companies in this day and age don’t do things like that…right?

Most don’t, but Zappos does.

When you visit Zappos website, they state that they are a company that is all about expression and that “At Zappos, We’re Always Creating Fun and a Little Weirdness!” They want to help you WOW the world by first WOWing you. If that means letting you buy six pairs of shoes and return five pairs for free just to find the right style and size, well, be ready to be WOWed by their customer service. And if it means sending you flowers because the customer service representative picked up on the fact that you are having a bad day? WOW customer service allows for that.

Now ask yourself:

• How many customers do you think Zappos retains as it embraces WOWing customers with creative fun and weirdness?
• Do you think they are attracting and retaining their target customer through these policies?

Zappos may not be the right fit for every person who wears shoes, but based on their sales and customer retention, there is evidence showing a strong customer base embraces Zappos fun and permissive approach to online shoe shopping.

Competitors that support different values will catch the eye of a different customer who is looking for a little less fun and a little more of something else. For example, competitors may attract customers who are more focused on:

• Flash or overstock sales
• Confirming social status
• Pairing shoes with accessories
• Trendspotting

In each instance, choosing a brand personality helps target customers instantly connect your offerings.

DEPENDS vs. HUGGIES

Respecting the fine line between diapers for babies and bladder control for adults is a minefield where even the most silver-tongued and circumspect marketing executives can unwittingly trip into dangerous territory. After all, everyone expects a baby not to have control of its bowels. Seeing a baby in diapers is par for the course. They don’t know any better and they can’t help it. Society accepts that and for the most part has no problem swapping horror stories in mixed company.

But once we are “potty trained,” maintaining control of our bowels becomes a matter of dignity. Where and how we do the daily activity of processing food becomes highly regulated.

As a children’s book so succinctly states it, “Everyone Poops,” but when you’re in the market of advertising to different adult demographics who may or may not make it to the bathroom on time, the voice you use to let your customer know you have what they need becomes paramount.

Below are two statements taken from ads. One of these statements is advertising Depends (adult underwear protection) and one is for Huggies (diapers for babies). One advertisement is aimed at a mother buying for a baby, and the other is aimed at a woman buying for herself.

Which ad copy do you think goes with each item?

Option 1: New comfy fit that lasts.

Option 2: Confidence is always in fashion.

As you’ve likely deduced, Huggies is represented in Option #1. A “comfy fit that lasts” is exactly what a mother is looking for in a diaper. Depends uses more formal language in Option #2 to address the values of a more mature audience.

Even though Depends and Huggies are fundamentally similar products, they target different audiences. Because they target different audiences, they need to use different voices. Huggies uses words a mother might use in front of children, like comfy. Depends stays away from slang, humor, and anything undignified that makes light of their product’s function.

Finding the right voice is all about knowing who you are speaking to and the words and tone they connect with.

To help keep brand voice consistent, it is common for companies to choose three adjectives that describe their voice.

GE vs. MINI

GE (General Electric) and Mini Cooper are both well-known international companies. GE makes pretty much everything the modern world runs on and Mini Cooper makes sporty, compact cars.

If you think maintaining brand identity and voice is difficult as a startup business, imagine managing tens of thousands of employees around the world who speak different languages. Imagine seeing your ads translated into different languages and having to trust that the translation is true to the original concept.

Big companies like GE and Mini Cooper have to do things like this every day. They’re releasing the same product in France and Japan and targeting the same customer, so the voice has to be just right or all their advertising efforts will be a waste.

Enter the function of the three voice adjectives.

GE: Imaginative, Responsible, Inspirational

Mini: Confident, Rebellious, Joyful

With these three defining adjectives, these companies now have a standard to use when creating their packaging and advertisements.

Now let’s take a look at some ad copy from each company. Using the questions above, can you determine which company is speaking?

1. Ecomagination
2. Plug into the smart gird
3. Runs on irregular
4. See the world 30% clearer
5. Cheetahs are pussies
6. Survival of the quickest
7. Unleash the possibilities
8. NOT NORMAL
9. Top down thrills

(Answers: 1- GE, 2-1 GE, 3-Mini, 4-GE, 5-Mini, 6-Mini, 7-GE, 8-Mini, 9-Mini)

Some of the messaging is quite obvious, such as calling cheetahs pussies. Very few companies would venture into that territory, but Mini knows that while someone who buys a Toyota might frown and object when they see that phrase in an ad, their target customer will likely let a rebellious smile sneak out.

Conversely, “unleash the possibilities” may seem like appropriate language for both companies at first glance, but is it more inspirational than rebellious? Yes. When Mini wants to say the same thing it uses language like “top down thrills.” It’s risky language, but that’s exactly what connects them with their target customer, just as responsible language connects GE with theirs.

You hear the voices of companies all around you. Literally. Everywhere.

• Online ads
• Billboards
• TV and print ads
• Radio commercials
• News headlines
• In-store/on-site messaging

Unless you have no contact with society, you have brands talking to you all day. It’s a constant broadcast of voice aimed at getting the thousands or millions of target customers to step forward and self-identify.

One thing to note is that you may or may not get your voice right out of the gate. You may think you’re targeting men 35-50 only to find out that 9 times out of 10 it’s their wives calling you. In cases like that, learn, adjust your voice to speak to your actual audience, and reapproach. It’s all part of growing.

Don’t be afraid to listen to feedback. How are people hearing about you? What did they hear? What language are they remembering? What words do customers use when they talk to you?

Your voice should speak your customer’s language on a peer-to-peer level, and if something works, keep doing it. Familiarity and predictability breed trust. If people are connecting with a phrase, keep using it.

But always, always, always have your three adjectives on display and ask yourself:

Is it . . . . ?
Is it . . . . ?
Is it . . . . ?

Before you know it, customers will be able to recognize your ad copy before they see your logo or your name, just as you can recognize a friend’s voice before they turn a corner and walk into sight.

Take note of voices you like and see if they will work for your company.  Remember, the voice needs to appeal to your target customer, not necessarily you. If you have a product people take seriously then you need to match your tone to your product. The CEO of Depends may like Mini ads, but that doesn’t mean the same voice that sells cars will sell adult underwear protection.

BRAINSTORM TIME

Take a few minutes to list adjectives you want your business to personify. Write down every word that comes to mind.

You can narrow down your options later, but to keep the flow going in brainstorm mode you need to let all the words out. You can get picky later.

In the end, you’ll want to choose the three strongest adjectives you can realistically maintain, because words with strong meaning will quickly help your audience find you.

AUTHOR PEN NAME

An example of creating multiple entities to target different customers would be an author who decides to take on a second pen name. Let’s say there is an author who has made a career writing sweet romances who decides she wants to write something not-so-sweet. What do you think will happen if this author begins publishing her graphic material under the same name as her clean material?

Since this scenario has occurred more than once, not much speculation is needed on what happens when an author keeps the same name for these value-opposite genres. It’s disastrous. The “clean” readers feel betrayed when they’re tricked into buying explicit material, and readers who want graphic scenes feel tricked when they buy a book with only one kiss tacked on at the end.

The backlash from both audiences is universal, the reviews are abysmal, and sales disappear. Both audiences have lost trust, and the author’s options are to either retire or make up a new name and start all over.

BRAINSTORM TIME

Regardless of your business category, you can expect strong reactions when you betray a brand promise—whether the brand is an actual business or simply the branding of your name, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the brand promise your customer can trust you to deliver every time.

Put some time into your brand promise and identify what your customers can count on you bringing to the table each and every time they interact with you. Once you’ve decided what your brand promise is, be prepared to advertise and deliver it.

TOMS

Toms sells shoes. That’s their product (among others), but it’s not what Toms is selling. What Toms is really selling is the value behind their brand promise of “one for one,” which promises that every time you buy a pair of their shoes, Toms will donate a second pair to a child in need.

Yes, you can get similar shoes from a competitor for cheaper, but that competitor isn’t going to gift a new pair of shoes to a child in need. Toms is a great illustration as to how the values of your business can create customer loyalty because it underscores how your company’s core values can be either industry- or community-related. You can be like Chipotle, a company committed to the quality of life their animals enjoy before they become part of the menu, or you can be like Lady Gaga and be highly dedicated to a social cause outside of your industry. Either approach or a combination of the two can be successful, so long as they are consistent.

BRANDY MELVILLE

Brandy Melville is a brand of girls’ clothing that only sells up to size Small (size 2). Their value system embraces only the petite.

This level of exclusivity based solely on a girl’s size gets a lot of push back from those who fight against an anorexic culture, but loyal customers see things differently. They see cute, affordable clothing that keeps them on trend. They love Brandy Melville’s offering and are unfazed by the knowledge that anyone with a circumference larger than 25 inches need not apply. That’s fine with them. Those people can shop somewhere else.

In this case, Brandy Melville’s values are met with opposite reactions—one enthusiastic and the other a soap box of opposition. If you truly stand for something then you are likely going to create a similar split reaction in public opinion.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Another example of brand values is Harley-Davidson, a company that vocally supports troops on active duty. But do they just put a yellow ribbon in their shop window and call that support?

No.

In most cases, locations take their support a step further by offering free motorcycle storage to any deployed soldier who has bought a Harley from their location. This is a huge savings and a business value that nearly everyone can get behind. And those who are not behind it are probably a bit jealous that they don’t qualify for free storage themselves.

BRAINSTORM TIME

Examining the values of other companies can help you better identify the values you want your company to embrace.

Reflect on the brands that currently have your loyalty. What have those brands done to make you feel so confident in supporting them?

Once you feel comfortable that you understand the values that resonate with you, it’s time to craft your own. Start with up to three value statements you are willing and able to take action on.

P!nk is a singer/songwriter by profession, but she is also a committed vegan who uses performance art to communicate why being a vegan is important to her. Similarly, Josh Duhamel is an actor who quietly volunteers at animal shelters when he is touring through a city to promote a film.

Think like Toms, Brandy Melville, Harley-Davidson, P!nk, and Josh Duhamel. What values can you embody in your business that customers can applaud you for. Where are you willing to take action beyond simple lip service and lead by example without flip-flopping and betraying trust in the future? As a brand you don’t need to be all things to all people. You just need to be authentic, which means your values should be authentic. People can smell a poser from a mile away so don’t aim to pander. Stick to your own truth and make it your value-based rallying cry.

BRAINSTORM TIME

Take a few minutes to answer each of the questions mentioned in this section in order to get a sense of your industry and your place within it.

BRAINSTORM TIME

What experience do you have in your field, and what credibility or tactical advantage does it give you?