Simon Mainwaring, the award-winning branding consultant, advertising creative director, and social media specialist wrote the book on branding. Literally. He is the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Renew Capitalism and Build a Better World. As such, Mr. Mainwaring has a lot to say on the topic of branding as the following quotes show.
“Define what your brand stands for, its core values and tone of voice, and then communicate consistently in those terms”
“Transforming a brand into a socially responsible leader doesn’t happen overnight by simply writing new marketing and advertising strategies. It takes effort to identify a vision that your customers will find credible and aligned with their values.”
“If a brand genuinely wants to make a social contribution, it should start with who they are, not what they do. For only when a brand has defined itself and its core values can it identify causes or social responsibility initiatives that are in alignment with its authentic brand story.”
“When a positive exchange between a brand and customers becomes quantifiable metrics, it encourages brand to provide better service, customer service to do a better job, and consumers to actively show their gratitude”
“It is a truly powerful phenomenon when a brand makes a stand for what it believes in.”
“Brands must have a point of view on that purposeful engagement, whether it’s directed towards the environment, poverty, water as a resource or causes such as breast cancer or education. Merely declaring your commitment to a category or cause will not be enough the distinguish your brand sufficiently to see a return on these well-intended efforts.”
“Ensure your employees understand what your brand stands for so they can be your first line of word-of-mouth advertising.”
“How much do you as a consumer value a positive experience with a brand or its customer service department? How willing are you to share that with your friends? How inclined are you to let that person know that you’re interaction with them was positive?”
