I was walking through Target the other day and I literally stopped dead in my tracks. I slowly moved my head to the left, and my mouth dropped open… “Liquid Death” … it was a black and gold can of… of what?? Was it beer, coffee… an energy drink? I HAD to know what it was.
It was…
Water.
Super pricey, bubbly, mountain water. In a CAN.
I immediately decided this in my mind and something, at some point, I WAS GOING to try. What made this canned water so special? Why did it make me feel like a badass, just thinking about owning it?
This is what brand obsession is. When a brand identifies with who you are, or who you want to be at your core. And people buy the things they want to believe.
Here are some brands I’m obsessed with…
- Apple
- Opal House
- Jenny Bird
- Black Rifle Coffee Co
- In N Out Burger
- Wegmens
- Sailor Jerry
- Grunt Style
Notice I didn’t say, products I’m obsessed with. I literally buy products from all kinds of companies and I could care less what the brand is… there is in fact a brand called “brandless” which I adore because that’s exactly how I feel a lot of the time… “screw big brands, give me something that is actually worth buying…”
The funny thing about that list of brands that I am obsessed with… is that I actually don’t buy all of those brands… I don’t buy coffee from black rifle, I don’t buy rum, I don’t buy from Grunt Style (any more) because the quality has gone downhill… and not to get side-tracked… but customers can tell when a brand becomes a sell-out for money. (Hint: money is NOT why people buy things).
What makes a brand worth obsessing over? Whether or not it identifies with your deepest values. Who you are, what you believe at the core, and who you want to become.
Nugget is a brand of kids’ couches, which sold out last year and were on backorder for months. Kids’ couches, guys, sold out for months. How??? Because the brand identified with a single core value in parents… a deep belief that in order to nurture and grow creative, smart, happy children, we needed to create an environment of natural play beyond toys. So, Nugget became an obsession for parents whose core belief is in imagination.
What are your favorite brands? Why are they your favorites? When you think about them, do you associate them with money? The answer is probably not what you would expect. People buy based on values, not money.
Price is not a factor in creating loyal customers, guys. Affordability, yes, that is an important consideration. (I mean seriously, don’t take advantage of people.)
What kind of customers is your brand really attracting? Do you even have a brand? Like, really? If you slapped together website, and hired your local sign guy to make your “logo”… then you are just checking stuff off your list. Checking stuff off your list is not a brand.
Brands hold values. Think about that. ✌️
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