We talk to our clients often about having a point of view. When we bring up the topic, typically they respond by saying they already have a mission or value statement. Maybe they even cite their positioning work, in the form of a positioning statement or proof points. Oftentimes they site their tagline as their POV. Sure, that’s one part of the equation. But the best brands in the world have a very clear point of view. One that’s so synonymous with their brand, that even seeing their logo, or experiencing their brand in some way, evokes an emotion.Take Apple, as a classic example. One doesn’t even need to be holding an Apple product or in an Apple store to understand very clearly their POV. Some of the Apple ads are so emotive they actually don’t need to speak any words at all. It’s easy to see the world through Apple’s eyes. If Apple started an airline or a hotel you would know just what kind of amenities they would offer. You understand the brand’s point of view that clearly. There are so many classic examples of brands just like Apple.
The POV is how a brand sees the world; what it thinks is important; what it thinks its role is in the world. The best brands have a point of view so clear it becomes their DNA- inherent in every product, every interaction.
When brands have a POV they can tell their brand story clearly and effectively by making the right the emotional connections. Our relationships with brands are like our relationships with people. We like to hang out with people who we can trust, who understand our needs, who are consistent, and who have a similar POV. Brands are no different. The POV serves to answer “why should I care?” for the consumer.
Having a POV — expressed through such things as stories, corporate citizenship, customer experiences, and brand messages — is what informs the all-important emotional connections we need to make decisions. That POV helps our head guide us to make choices as consumers. Knowing the answer to “why should I care?” gets to the heart of the brand.
So where do you start?
This means asking the hard questions, about what you stand for, what intrinsic value your products and services bring to a client’s life and why they should care. From there building a POV can be simple; folding it into the very DNA of an organization, not so much.
When we were working with Cigna on carrying through some of their brand work to their employees, each of the employees were given the opportunity to personally embody the Cigna “Go You” campaign, bringing the brand POV into their own personal workspace with simple plaques allowing them to express themselves.
Cigna is a great example of a company who was very clear on their point of view- You are an individual and there is only one you.
Why did this align so well at the time it was launched in 2012? Because the individual health care market was just becoming a real-thing. This campaign represented a departure for insurers, who had previously directed their marketing to wholesale business accounts, not individual consumers. The shift in strategy smacked in the face the perceptions of an industry known for causing consumer headaches rather than curing them. Cigna stood up and said, here’s why you should care about your health care, because very simply there is no substitute for you.
Putting people first is not a phrase many consumers associate with insurers, which instead tend to conjure up memories of endless bureaucracy and skyrocketing. The Cigna marketing campaign positioned them as a consumer-friendly health care company, not just a insurance provider. The campaign successfully humanized health care to make the consumer believe that the health insurance company really cares about them.
The visuals, which were bright and cheery, were so easily recognizable too, that they became synonymous with the Cigna brand. They also gave their employees something to be excited about, humanizing them too, not as just employees, but as individuals with their own voice, each and every one of them a critical part of the organization as a whole.
So, how is your company expressing your point of view? Do you even have one?
TLF, the insurance industry marketing experts, are accomplished at solving complex B2B marketing communications problems, with extensive experience to develop and execute marketing strategies to help businesses achieve their goals. Developing POVs is in our DNA, as is a whole host of other things. Haven’t checked us out yet? It’s time.