Path linked to experiences and emotion

One of our favorite blogs in the branding space, Brand Autopsy, authored by former Starbucks marketing exec John Moore, referenced the interesting Brand Heaven and Hell illustration below. It was developed by David Armano and published at his Logic + Emotion blog.

What we found especially interesting was the first steps up or down on the path – positive and negative interactions. The trigger point has to do with the real experiences we have with brands. This thought once again grounds all of us in the communications field that a great product well presented and marketed has a chance to succeed — and a bad product may not outlive the campaign developed to promote it. Moore’s most recent post on Jet Blue mentions an AdAge opinion piece about a misguided investment in interruptive communication. The article recommends Jet Blue re-focus on the knitting that presaged their rise to fame: religious focus on a great product that naturally lent itself to strong word of mouth.

With a differentiated, relevant and well-executed product to work with, PR done right can fan brand fame and celebrity. This media strategy also offers the additional cachet of third party credibility – essential to building belief. In the absence of a positive experience with a brand, none of this works very well. What do you think?