Disease to please

The title begs for an apology as no one these days wants to hear the word 'disease' since you-know-what-19 disrupted life as we know it. But the thing I refer to as "the disease to please" needs to be addressed.

They say if you try to please everybody, you will end up pleasing nobody. Alas, there is a people pleaser in all of us. We simply try to please others for acceptance or love. This comes with several personal costs. For brands that are trying to please different customers, the end is quite the same.

Usually firms try to please as many people as possible so they can resonate with more consumers. At least that's what they expect. However, being a people pleaser is not always good for businesses. Why should brands avoid the disease to please then? The answer is about finding a niche market.

A brand is unique

In marketing, we claim that a brand is a promise. A brand is created by a person who envisions an ideal persona for a brand. This means a brand has character. It tells its story to the world through products and services, through branding, through its own culture. The character traits of a brand attract certain people and it's not easy to click with the right customer and get them to have an affair with your brand.

Once you do find those right customers, you should please them by all means. This is simply niche marketing. But if your promise shall change or if you reshape the original identity of your brand, it is likely that you will upset your fan base. When Porsche launched its popular model Cayenne, it enabled company to tap into a different market segment. However existing customers were really upset about this decision. They found another niche but the primary customer niche wasn't thrilled. Luckily, things worked out really well for Porsche in the end and Cayenne became one of the top selling cars.

Brand becomes confused

Before I started my own business, I talked to many professionals for mentoring. One of them, Paul Brooks, who had his own business for more than 20 years gave me the most valuable piece of advice. He said "pick your area and don't go chasing all." This is indeed gold. One might lose focus upon following too many leads and trends.

If you have watched documentaries about the African savannah, you probably know how predators bring down a prey on which they fix their eyes first. The point of this gruesome comparison is that we initially need to focus on a target. A niche if you will. If you do not have clear goals, you won't be able to keep your eyes on the prize. Trying to focus on customers from all walks of life can be a distraction. It's better to target groups with most potential or focusing on pleasing existing customers. Similarly, having a very broad scope of business can be overwhelming and too complicated to deal with. This is why most industries are considering slow and sustainable growth today, rather than branching out.

Brand gets exhausted

Finding out about who potential customers truly are is not an easy process. It takes investing a lot of time, making real efforts and, oftentimes, spending a lot of money. The same goes for finding new customers and their likes, their interests, what makes them happy. So, to be informed about different customer groups, companies need to give it their double attention and to keep the customers pleased more efforts, all of which eventually might turn into a black hole sucking extra energy, time and resources.

Companies with growth plans need to make sure that they have the means as well. It's not just a case of having enough funds but of time and staff too. Otherwise, diverting efforts to offer better services to ongoing customers instead of finding new ones is a way better plan. Besides, existing customers are somewhat easier to please.

Because trends come and go

I consider trends as frenemies. They can be put to good use, in right doses. Yet, they can also kill creativity and backfire. Following trends can make brands and their products and services look so similar that it serves exactly the opposite of what marketing is trying to achieve; differentiation. The worst marketing nightmare; a brand that can't be distinguished from others in the market. Not everything out there is unique but at least there should be some things in your offerings that differentiate your brand.

Just because every other company is doing it doesn't mean you should do it too. Examples are everywhere from designs in fashion to features offered by tech companies, and from schools' programmes to services offered by airlines. If we looked more analytically, we could find thousands of cases. The problem is that they often get carried away with following the competitors too closely and end up offering almost the same thing.

To become unrecognisable means being replaceable and fade away. Following the trends should be done carefully, always guarding the core identity and adding a little bit of yourself in the mix. Whether it is in your designs or in your services.

Brand risks consumer trust

Brands are constantly trying to communicate with the customer. Show them who they are. They try to create value for their customers. In order to create value, they must show what they value. This is making a promise and keeping it. But if the company cannot keep these promises, customers will lose faith in their beloved brand. If they feel betrayed for whatever reason, it will be hard to trust it again. As they say: fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

Moreover, It's very hard for companies to apologise and take back what they say or do, just like the personal relationships. To refrain from the mainstream can actually be good for a brand.

A brand owner should also be careful about personal stance and brand's communication. Some brands, are perfectly capable of reflecting the owner's characteristics. For instance, Vivienne Westwood -both the individual and the brand- represent punk, rebellious and revolting characters. These traits are present in merchandise, corporate DNA, advertising, PR, campaigns. Can you imagine Chanel addressing to its audience like Vivienne Westwood brand? Would that be weird, funny, sad, outrageous?

No matter what and how we communicate, we need to be consistent with our messages. This is one of the never changing rules of marketing.

Sincerely Yours...

Trends do not only refer to the design aspects. There are trending topics that surround industries. Sustainability for instance is one such and hot concept. Companies jump in the bandwagon as they want to show how much they care but they cannot walk the walk, that's when the problems begin.

Several companies, from fast fashion to luxury, are severely criticised for burning unsold merchandise while claiming to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. So before following a trend and claiming something, brands need to remember to live up to those standards.

Instead of trying to please others or trying to fit into categories, it's better to be oneself and not worry about the cost of being who we are. Why should it be any different for brands?