Branding power
I think we should talk about the power that branding can have. You see it all the time but some examples really stick out sometimes.
I’ve grown up and have always been in the agriculture business. We still farm to this day. One of the biggest brands in farming, and practically the world, is John Deere.
John Deere famously invented a superior steel plow in the 1840’s or so, and the business grew pretty quick from then on. Now its absurdly huge.
I suppose it was fairly obvious that they should use a deer in the logo for the company. Which they started doing over 150 years ago and have continued to this day.
Talk about consistency to establish a brand.
Not only has the logo incorporated a deer for over a century, the famous John Deere green paint has been around for decades too. I’d imagine almost anyone can recognize the legendary green and yellow paint of a Deere.
The amusing point of this post is it’s pretty common at least around my parts of the Ag world to lament the higher price of basically anything John Deere branded.
Almost like you could take any random generic part, paint it green and yellow with a deer on it, and now the price is double.
How is this relevant to anybody in marketing and branding?
Well if you haven’t noticed I harp on the foundations of a good brand from time to time. And one of those foundations is meeting (or exceeding) the expectations of your marketing, and thus your brand.
When someone buys a John Deere part, they expect a certain quality. Not just because of their marketing and branding prowess. Or fake claims and flashy social media launch campaigns.
That expectation is built on actual, tangible, and real quality over decades. And the results the customer demands.
You can’t charge a higher price without having the expectation of higher quality.
Or the expectation of more prestige, enjoyment, longevity, or whatever the brand positioning is pointing the customers perception to.
Deere is just one example. They’re everywhere when you pay attention to these things.
Most people don’t necessarily pay special attention to them, but you can bet they are 100% influenced by them.
Keep that in mind and join my branding list HERE to keep moving forward in your branding