In a perfect world consumers would truly understand and appreciate the considerable energy and dollars companies expend to develop higher quality products and services. After all, marketers are religiously focused on delivering functional benefits that meet consumer expectations and thus may test well: We examine our product alongside others and proclaim it 15 percent better if not best. So we should win at the shelf, right? Just direct the awareness spotlight on our feature/benefit algorithm and the world should come running because they see and appreciate what we’ve done... for them?!

Loyal in behavior... but not loyal in attitude
Well, we can always go to the bank on habit: consumers are loath to leave when a product routinely performs within a quality framework they’ve come to expect and rely on. That habit thing holds fast only until something new, more relevant and entertaining arrives to yank us out of our lock step stupor and into the shining aura of a more remarkable, interesting and engaging proposition. A great example is Dyson – they up-ended the entrenched floor care business with a clearly superior idea, proceeded to violate every rule and convention in the category – and then made off with the market.

People are driven by a search for meaning in their lives
In our consuming culture, fueled by a decent standard of living and enough disposable income to keep the economic flame firing on all cylinders, we have arrived at a place where the analytical proposition to buy is a much harder sell than the more mysterious connections forged along an emotional path.

But here it is – said most succinctly by brand guru Patrick Hanlon, CEO of Thinktopia. "There are 500 different kinds of cars, 100 different kinds of soft drinks. And thanks to technology, everything is now about the same. So it basically boils down to whom consumers feel better about. That’s called preference and preference drives sales."

The world of over-choice has forced consumers to edit purchase decisions based on feeling not facts. People are on a life-long hunt for meaning and purpose, and brands can help reflect and define their lives.

A compelling and vibrant belief system is the way forward
Hanlon, in a by-lined AdAge story draws his analogy to the retail world: "Gap’s fall from grace is almost legendary, its missteps numerous – bad product, lack of differentiation, and confusing store design to name a few. Its struggle reminds us that it takes more than style, a logo or store design alone to sustain a brand. What works is a combined experience. Knowing how to pull the strings on sometimes intangible assets can make huge differences in appeal to consumers."

If it takes more effort in the emotional arena to drive preference, then what’s the formula for building a more magnetic brand? Abigail Posner, Director of Brand Planning for DDB Worldwide had this to say – "Science now proves what brand strategists have always sensed. We human beings have a fundamental need to believe in and act upon something that’s greater than ourselves. Let’s realize the significance of this discovery and impress upon ourselves and our colleagues that a brand is a belief system…want greater rewards? Impart your brand with greater meaning."

Why your mission matters
Successful relationships between consumers and brands today are more reminiscent of human friendships that can spark conversation, sew the seeds of give and take, and generate rewards that run in two directions. There’s greater gravitational pull between brand and user when deeper meaning is added to the marketing mix.

• When the Pampers brand of disposable diapers moves beyond absorbance claims and casts itself as an arbiter of useful, valuable parenting advice.
• When Chipotle quick-serve restaurants gain legions of fans from its pioneering "Food With Integrity" mission that heaps quality notions on the brand and feeds the taste experience.
• When Seventh Generation green household and personal care business states its mission is no less than "to help create a world of equity, justice, health and well-being."
• When DOVE brand’s Campaign for Real Beauty transcends images of "real women" in ads to align itself with education and inspiration that helps teenage girls build their self-esteem.

What higher purpose can we define for a brand that transcends the basic feature/benefit bag? What is the mission we can create to drive the organization and collective thinking in a way that harnesses emotional connectivity and thus builds equity – in a world that’s already submerged in sameness and like-sounding feature claims?

Inspire. Ignite. Build Passion.
The start of this conversation is about brand purpose and how it’s defined in a new way. Mission, soul and purpose means we must move beyond the product we shepherd to look more deeply into the lives of those we hope to influence. What can we facilitate, enable or provide that sends our brand relationship with the consumer to another level built on shared interests and greater meaning?

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