The Washington Nationals won the World Series last week and all of DC is celebrating. Limited edition Nationals apparel and commemorative gear is likely to find its way under the Christmas trees of many friends and family -- including those who are not now nor have ever been Nationals fans. If you receive a gift like this from someone who is a die hard Nationals fan, you must be someone very special to them. Here's why:
A brand is defined in the minds of its customers. Customers' personal experiences with a brand create thoughts, feelings, emotions, images, memories that they store and access. And, in the overloaded minds of average consumers, all those things distill to an "essence" about a brand that's easy to remember and call forth, like an acronym for their sentiments. Brands can't control or tell customers how they should feel about a brand -- but everything about their product, from look and feel and functionality, to point of purchase and customer service, helps to create that brand essence. Two things are important to take away:
Brands must first understand how they are defined in the minds of their best customers. Don't guess -- ask.
Everyone in the company has a role to play in cultivating the most ideal brand essence in the minds of customers.
So, when a Nats fan gives you a bright red ball cap with that iconic W emblazoned in all its cursive glory, it's not a baseball cap. It's the wonderful, unbridled joy and excitement that they felt when the last pitch was thrown and the last strike was called and they were laughing and dancing, and singing "Baby Shark" and hugging those around them with overwhelming excitement. The Nats fan wants you to have that feeling, too. What a lovely gift!
