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Branding in the age of cat videos
Let’s start with branding
Branding is the process of building an emotional relationship between the consumer and a product, a service or an organization.
Branding derives from recognizing needs and expectations. Then, building on the feelings that people already have, creating memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one organization, product or service over another.
Here’s a brand story for you
It was finally summer. School was out, and I had nothing to do on that glorious afternoon. So I walked to our neighborhood store. The big kids were hanging out on the steps shooting the breeze, drinking Coke. And then the magic happened. Gary asked, “Hey Teddy, wanna Coke?” And he passed me an ice-cold Coke. I had arrived. We never had sugary drinks at home, and here I was with a whole bottle of the forbidden Coca-Cola, all to myself. Better yet, the sharing of that Coke meant I was in the gang.
Years later I was driving across the state to work on a farm for the summer. I was a little nervous about bunking with a new group. Concerned that they might not accept me, being the only city boy.
Along the way I stopped at a small gas station in the middle of nowhere. I pulled in and filled up. When I went to pay, I…
