Branding. Create a coherent and predictable emotional experience for your customer.
Hey there!
I’m on my way back from a gloriously sunny weekend by the seaside. We lay on the beach, we played Frisbee, we paddled in the sea, we surfed.
Everything I own is now full of sand. Including this laptop, which I haven’t touched all weekend.
Now… I’m sure you’ve been sat by your email box all day, eagerly awaiting the delivery of your weekly Jalopy Gang V.I.P. newsletter. Well… I’m afraid you’ll have to wait one more day to receive it this week, because I’ve been extremely busy all weekend doing nothing. And now I’m worn out! 
It’ll be totally brilliant. Sign-up below to be sure not to miss out.
There’s some really great free stuff coming soon…
Earlier today, as the sun beamed down on my face and the cool sand squeezed between my toes, I got thinking about branding.
I’ve spoken before about the benefits of communicating a single, coherent message to your customers through your branding.
Equally important, I think, is to deliver a coherent and predictable emotional experience, and to anchor this to your brand.
What am I talking about?
Well…Why do you watch 24?
You watch 24 because you want excitement. You want 600 plot twists in 6 minutes. You want close-ups and explosions and stuff. You have an expectation that it will get your blood pumping.
Why do you watch Oprah?
You watch Oprah because you want to connect. You want to hear people’s stories and relate to them. You want to feel understood. You want to feel inspired. You have an expectation that you will feel this way, and it is familiar and comforting.
Why do you watch films you’ve already seen before?
Because you know how they’re going to make you feel. You know what you’re going to get.
Whenever we enter into an interaction we have a certain expectation of what the emotional experience is going to be.
What is the emotional experience that your service / product / website / brand provides?
Is it predictable and consistent?
If you switch on Oprah, hoping for some inspiration, then you’re going to be disappointed if you end up with a sweaty Rush Limbaugh blaming all his personal problems on anyone else who isn’t just like him.
If you switch on 24, hoping for some action packed excitement, then you’re going to be disappointed if you end up with a slow, tender love story.
So, be consistent. Make the emotional experience part of your brand, and keep it mind in all your communication.
See you tomorrow!
JJ Jalopy.
18 comments so far
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Comment by Anthony Lemme
1 June 2009
How bout that. I’m your first commenter! How was the seaside? Skype me tomorrow. Nice post by the way!
Anthony
http://www.anthonylemme.com
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Comment by Duane Cunningham
1 June 2009
HI JJ,
Hope you enjoyed your seaside holiday! It looks pretty warm over there when I was watching the FA cup final 41C!!
Great message in your post today too!
Duane
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Comment by John Ho
1 June 2009
JJ,
Any prize for me being the 3rd commentator?
> I’ve been extremely busy all weekend doing nothing.
Wow, VERY deep. Like The Way” (The Tao Principle): Doing Nothing & yet Everything is done.
John Ho
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Comment by Steve Chambers
1 June 2009
People surf in England? I never knew and the water seems so cold. Brilliant post! In sightful as always.
Steve Chambers, The Sales Expert
The Sales Eagle Solution – 6 months to dominate your market
Comment by Rob Northrup
1 June 2009
I love Rush and can’t stand Oprah. And I’ve never heard Rush blame anyone else for anything.
I didn’t know you had sand on the beaches in England, the one we went to had huge pebbles/rocks (Brighton)…
Seize the Day,
Rob
Sales Expert For Small Business Owners
Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners
Comment by JJ Jalopy
1 June 2009
Yeah they really do!
Surfing in the atlantic! Crazy, isn’t it?
The weather was beautiful but the water was bloody freezing. It’s had all winter to cool down.
Comment by JJ Jalopy
1 June 2009
Thanks dude. Hope you enjoyed the footy!
Comment by JJ Jalopy
1 June 2009
Thanks rockstar! I’ll chat to you later…
Comment by JJ Jalopy
1 June 2009
Yeah, Brighton beach must be the most uncomfortable beach in the world!
The beaches further south are nice and sandy though. We were in Cornwall, in the very South-West of England. It’s beautiful down there.
To be honest, I don’t really like Oprah or Limbaugh, but I don’t know too much about them either. The way I made that point sucked really. I was so keen to say something petty about Rush Limbaugh that it overshadowed my main point, which was that someone expecting a certain emotional experience will be dissatisfied or confused when if they experience another.
Comment by Rob Northrup
2 June 2009
I was hobbling for a day after Brighton Beach… that palace was pretty neat though and the kids loved the boardwalk and the Chow Mein…
Rob
Rob Northrup’s latest internet ramble.Success or Failure in 2009?
Comment by JJ Jalopy
2 June 2009
@Rob I love Brighton. It’s a lot of fun there. Last time I was there I ate so much candy floss that my teeth fell out on the spot!
Comment by Darryl Pace
2 June 2009
Great post, JJ. Consistency of our message is something we should definitely keep in mind.
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Comment by Rob Northrup
2 June 2009
JJ, we thought that the Rock cnady with the word all the way through it was pretty cool. And we all had Fish and Chips at a famous corner spot– Buddy’s. (Not quite as awesome as Harry Ramsden’s but quite good)…
Seize the Day,
Rob
Sales Expert For Small Business Owners
Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners
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Comment by JJ Jalopy
3 June 2009
Mmm… I LOVE fish and chips.
Have you tried a pickled onion with your fish and chips?
Yeah, it’s exactly what it sounds like. An onion pickled. It sounds like the most disgusting thing in the world but it’s actually delicious!
Comment by JJ Jalopy
3 June 2009
@Darryl. Thanks mate. Yes, if we send mixed messages all the time we confuse people. Our businesses aren’t like real life, where you could bump into anyone in any situation in any mood, and that’s cool because we’re human. People actively source us out in search of a certain experience. If we want to thrive it is best to give them that experience on a reasonably consistent basis.
Comment by Single Boomer Dating Success Coach
13 June 2009
Hey JJ, incorporating EMOTIONS in our brand really IS important, isn’t it?
So many people think LOGICALLY and sort of analytically only without incorporating the OTHER person’s emotional experience.
And emotions are what captivate and sell.
Best regards,
April Braswell
Single Boomer Dating Expert, Relationship Success Coach
Widow Support and Bereavement Counseling Outreach Workshop Orange County, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, CA