Secrets of 6 of the Most-Trusted Brands
Secrets of 6 of the Most-Trusted Brands
If you want a good guide to branding, you should start by looking Secrets of 6 of the Most-Trusted Brands. These are the brand’s people, know, like, and trust. Entrepreneur commissioned a study recently to explore the reasons some brands seem to always on or near the top.
According to the Entrepreneur, ‘What became clear: Though they may not have the biggest sales or market share in their categories, today’s most trustworthy brands have created relationships with consumers through experiences that trigger a visceral response.’ Web Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223125
Building an emotional connection with a client helps many companies to establish a bond with customers that envokes a gut reaction of trust. Readers of our blog will remember the blog, “PROVIDING VALUE AS A REAL ESTATE AGENT IN THE INFORMATION AGE”. The blog shows a chart of the 30 elements of value in a pyramid with four levels: Functional, Emotional, Life Changing, and Social Impact.
Let’s take a look at some of the tactics used by these companies and how you can put them to use.
Amazon
Staff photo
Amazon has almost all of the things you would shop online for, a great search function, superior browsers, free shipping for Prime and items over a certain dollar value, 24-hour access, and just a great overall purchasing experience.
Because they are providing serval of the elements of value (Reduces effort, Avoids hassles, Reduces cost, Variety, Provides access, and more) at different levels of the value pyramid people have grown to trust the brand.
Coca-Cola
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
With Coca-Cols it is all about happiness.
Think of the slogans that Coca-Cola uses: Things go better with Coke, Have a Coke and a Smile, Enjoy Thirst, Refresh Yourself, Life Tastes Good, and Open Happiness to name a few). “Everything they do is inspired by this idea of, How do we promote, develop, and create happiness?” author –Jim Stengel, says. Web Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223125
They incorporate the idea of happiness and delight in all their messaging, from Vending machines to collectibles, to Facebook, and beyond. This idea if happiness, they combine with respect for longevity and those that preceded them. That means a great deal to customers, and delivers several elements of value, including Quality, Sensory appeal, Fun/entertainment, and Nostalgia. Like
Amazon, the trust factor is high because the elements of value are from more than one level of trust in the pyramid of value, and trust increases.
FedEx
Staff photo
Delivering packages from one place to another is about as unglamorous profession as you can get. However, doing it hundreds of thousands of times a day, on time, and worldwide is a really good way to build trust. The question for FedEx was how do you take and build on that trust.
The answer lies in a riddle. When is a package not a package? When it is a customer’s livelihood, a families heirlooms, a contract which will provide a better future for a company, or documents that have to be at a given place at a certain time, no matter what.
In short, FedEx is a company that has built its reputation by delivering on what it promises.
Building on this, the company has an active social media presence to engage with customers not merely provide them with information.’
So again, we see a company that is providing value across several layers of the value pyramid. (Reduces anxiety, Saves time, Simplifies, Reduces risk, quality, and informs)
Apple
Photo by Vincent Chan on Unsplash
Apple has done an excellent job of figuring out what people want and selling it to them. They have built trust among their customers by providing products that are smart and sleek, that promise to improve the life of the purchaser. They will communicate better or have more fun at work and leisure.
Looking deeper into their brand, we see that Apple has always focused on the emotional aspect of purchasing their products. What other stores have customers and press waiting in lines, sometimes for days, when a new product is going to be released? Consumers anticipate the rush of owning the latest I-phone. By promoting perceived value Apple customers willing to pay more.
So how does Apple connect with their customers? Take the “Shot on iPhone” campaign for example. It shows the versatility of the camera by featuring videos shot by actual customers.
By letting their customers be part of something larger the showed the product in use, how it fits into the customer’s lifestyle, and reinforced the emotional connection w=between the brand and its customers.
Target
Photo by Hafidh Satyanto on Unsplash
Target ensures that customers have an enjoyable experience while being able to buy quality items at an affordable price. There is an effort directed by the marketing strategy to appear warm and friendly.
Part of that strategy is to provide customers with a changing array of trendy clothing and home accessories. While Tager is a food retailer, and markets under their white label, Archer Farms, they are seen more as an apparel store. Target tries to stay true to that brand.
Photo by James Lee on Unsplash
Ford
Photo by James Lee on Unsplash
There is a lot to be said for stability. In the Clock Tower of, the now defunct,t American Woolen or Maynard, MA, and the former home of Digital Equipment Corporation there are some graffiti left by former visitors mostly in the form of signatures. Henry Ford’s name is there. Although never authenticated, to my knowledge, he did visit the area, and it bears a striking resemblance to the famous Ford signature on the automobiles by The Ford Motor Company.
The Ford signature Logo was introduced in 1091 and has represented the company for 110 years. Few companies can claim that kind of stability. Nor can many companies claim to have their products discussed as part of the educational curriculum in virtually every school in the nation. Concepts like an assembly line and products like the Model A, the Model T, and the more recent Mustang are iconic names that bring The Ford Motor Company to mind.
These are some of the reasons Ford is consistently ranked high by consumers in terms of stability and dependability. That alone though is not enough to permanently sustain a company. Ford knows this and has gone to great lengths to listen to and respond to customers, most notably through social media.
