ON BRANDING || Consistency is Key to Building a Strong Brand
I recently stayed in a 5-star hotel, courtesy of my next-door neighbor who started a fire and a subsequent flood of their surrounding neighbors’ homes.
As I made my way through the revolving doors to the lobby of the hotel, a light fragrance become my first interaction with the brand, then the bell boy’s polite welcoming head nod, and finally the sound of lively chatter spilling out from the lobby restaurant set the tone for what I would be expecting for my hotel stay.
After checking in, I made my way down the corridor lined with colorful, sculptural paintings towards the elevators. The elevator doors opened to a warmly-lit corridor with expansive windows looking out over the water, and seemingly high-maintenance, light beige fluffy carpets paved the way to the hotel rooms. I placed my access card over the electronic entry device, and with a small buzz, I was able to enter the room. The second, thicker layer of curtains was drawn back, with the lighter layer creating a light filter against the sunshine spilling into the spacious room. A king bed with four fluffy pillows and taut, crisp white sheets sat in the middle of the room. Sleek, light wood millwork cabinets paired well with the interiors.
After settling in and stowing away my luggage, I decided to take a shower after a long day of work. The rain shower was a perfect stress reliever, and the spacious marble counter provided plenty of space for my toiletries. I searched through the open cabinets for the hairdryer and found it tucked away neatly in a white cloth bag.
“As a brand, it is unacceptable to think, or hope, that your customers will not notice if you let the ball drop with just one small detail (because they will).”
For all females with hair, essentially every girl on the planet, a great hairdryer is fundamental to how our hair ends up looking like for the rest of the day; which is why I was surprised when I opened the bag to find a simple hairdryer with a singular heat setting made of cheap plastic. Taking a quick glance around the rest of the bathroom, it wasn’t hard to spot this glaring inconsistency for a 5-star hotel in this one small yet very significant detail. I was hardpressed to think of a reason why the brand invested in everything from designer fragrance hand lotion, shampoo, and conditioner, aesthetically pleasing lighting and cabinet under-lighting, only to leave an important step in the grooming process as an afterthought.
As a brand, it is unacceptable to think, or hope, that your customers will not notice if you let the ball drop with just one small detail (because they will). This is true regardless of whether you are building a premium brand or a value-driven brand on the other side of the pricing spectrum. If you are dedicated to a premium brand positioning, you must not neglect details like how wallpaper is installed (ragged corners or misaligned patterns to name a few defects) or whether the wall corners are clean. If you run a minimalist and functional value-driven brand like MUJI, your customers would not expect extravagant embroidery on any of your clothing items because it is simply not part of your brand’s DNA.
Take a moment to reflect on the various aspects of your product and/or service, as well as every single touchpoint you have with your customers, is each and every interaction and perceivable detail consistent with your brand values and positioning? If not, you must fix it, because no matter how small, the devil is always, always in the details.
