emotional connectivity. The strongest brands derive their
strength from the inside.
13.
Identify Brand Zealots: Association professionals have an
existing resource with which to build emotional connectivity: brand zealots. Think of the consumers who have Apple
stickers on their cars and write “best of” lists for Amazon.
When you identify your consistent conference attendees,
your regular e-mailers, etc., you’ve found a cadre of allies
who already are emotionally invested in building your brand.
14.
Leverage Zealots: In a recent Strategy + Business magazine
article, authors Horacio D. Rozanski, Allen G. Baum and
Bradley T. Wolfsen — all with marketing consultancy Booz
Allen Hamilton — wrote, “helping brand zealots achieve
their full brand experience, allowing them to get together
and channeling their actions in favor of the brand could
become effective in guarding and extending brand value and
in winning an increasingly demanding competitive race.” In
other words: Once you’ve identified brand zealots, use them.
15.
Deliver Consistently: Whatever your members’ emotional
triggers are, make sure you’re consistently meeting their
needs. Securing great speakers for your annual meeting, for
example, may be undermined by inconsistent response time to
member e-mails, which may hit an emotional button for
some members that makes them question whether the association really values them.
16.
Repeat: It cannot be forcefully stated enough that once
you’ve started building emotional connectivity, you’ve done
just that — started. Emotional branding is an ongoing organizational competency, not a one-time initiative.
J.B. Davis has been building consumer and nonprofit brands for 15 years. Former
brand manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield’s national office, he has directed brand
strategy for Firestone’s retail arm and has led branding initiatives for a large
research-based university, a global trade association and a leading retailer, among
others. He can be reached at jbdavis1@comcast.net.
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