[in]formality
There will always be a time and a place for the three-piece suit in business. I just believe those times and places are becoming more and more rare . . .
Think of the last time you felt a positive connection with a brand [go ahead, I'll wait . . .] I believe that at least 90% of the time, the brands that resonate with you are the ones that meet you on your level. There are, of course, “aspirational” brands (Mercedes, Tag Heuer, Tommy Hilfiger at one time) which are catering to man’s desire to be perceived as elite beyond his current place in life. But I’m talking about the bulk of products and services that aim to reach us as we are right now . . . cleaning products, fast food, retail outlets, et cetera. Perhaps you’ve seen the Charmin Bathroom Tissue ad that addressed the issue of “leftover fragments” (this from an industry that softened the word “toilet paper” to the less-offensive “bathroom tissue” in the first place).
Even high-end consumer electronics like giant flat-panel TVs (certainly a status symbol in some right) are being marketed as gathering sites for friends and family–almost folksy.
Signage and labels are sounding less like legal jargon and more conversational. In some cases, brands are even having fun within the legalese itself, like Apple’s “Do Not Eat iPod Shuffle” warning on the product page for the smallest music player in its line.
Is this really so surprising, though? If we can think of a brand as a personality (which I think we can for our immediate purposes), who would you (as a consumer) rather do business with? The guy who welcomes you with a handshake and a smile, or the stiff who’s too busy covering his liabilities to notice you walked through the door?
I think we can attribute this move toward informality to companies finally realizing this simple truth: every communication they make has to convey their brand’s message. And once you realize that, it’s easy to find a lot of touchpoints that can be made more welcoming . . .
