Going deeper: Making your brand transcendent

Mike Peck is President of Outside Source Design and a marketing strategist.
Recently I read an article about “transcendent brands.” The idea of a brand aspiring to be transcendent is quite appropriate. Before we talk about how this is accomplished, let’s find common ground on a definition. For us, a transcendent brand goes beyond the ordinary in the mind of the consumer and stands apart in some significant way.

If you are a managing a brand, large or small, how do you begin the process of becoming transcendent?

First, you have to fully understand what a normal customer experience is within your category. Take a look at every aspect of your customer experience and do the same with all of your competitors. Chart every customer interaction as much as you can to fully identify connection points. Everything from installation instructions to sales material should be reviewed with unbiased eyes.

Once you have all of your customer interactions outlined, ask yourself a simple question, “What could I do within this process to cause a customer to talk about his/her experience? How can our brand transcend the normal?”

Allow me to offer a quick example. Last week in Starbucks my order was one of many and the team seemed to be running a bit late. As the barista handed me my drink, she also gave me a gift certificate for a free coffee and apologized for having made me wait so long. If you unpack this experience you see that in the mind of Starbucks, the cost of a free drink and quick apology is a small price to pay for a repeat visit and a story told by a satisfied customer.

Go deeper as you seek customer delight. Transcend the normal customer interaction and put needs of your audiences above process and protocol. It is true that a customer always talks. The question is, “What are they saying about your brand?”