In This Article
It’s easy for Apple, Coca-Cola, or McDonald’s to incorporate fun in their branding and advertising. These brands are obviously and visibly attractive and their products are well-known and frequently used. However, there are brands that aren’t attractive in the strictest sense of the word but have great potential. Luckily, in the age of technology, every brand can find a way to stand out and be different from the competition, as well as make the whole branding experience fun. The key is in being authentic and genuine because forced, insincere branding will only alienate your audience as they will see through you. Here are some tactics that can make your brand fun and cool.
Be social
If you want to attract younger audiences, you absolutely need to take to social media. Even though your products or services aren’t visually oriented, you can still create some compelling content and be interesting. For example, by showing your audience what goes on behind the wings, you’ll introduce them to your company’s culture and bring your brand closer to them. This means that you can post pictures from the office, team building activities, or parties. Producing quality, relevant content that addresses some of your audience’s pain points and offers them solutions is another winning strategy. Every once in awhile, try to organize contests, and give away some cool promotional items.
A visually appealing website
A well-designed, attractive website is a must, no matter what your industry is. It can’t be denied that some brands will have a more challenging task if they want to create a visually appealing website and promote their products or services, but it’s not impossible. Interactive, mobile-friendly design can make all the difference. As you know, video is all the rage at the moment, which means that it’s essential to include it in your branding efforts. Your home page, as well as your landing pages, should feature interactive videos that will allow your visitors to navigate through them and select what they want to watch. Instead of linear videos that are a bit hermetic and in a way self-absorbed, interactive videos invite your audience to create their own visual experience and turn them from passive observers into active participants.
Listen to your audience
Today’s market is a highly competitive one and the secret of maintaining a successful brand lies in modernization and following demands of its audience. Consumers usually don’t like being ignored. A brand that cares and pays attention to its customers’ needs can build loyalty and trust. That’s why it’s important to let your customers have their say about your brand. If you’re trying to improve your products or even refresh your brand identity, include your audience in the process. Interesting polls and well-crafted paid surveys will provide your customers with a great opportunity to participate in creating your brand, and earn some cash at the same time.
Up-close and personal
Many brands have become dehumanized and artificial in an attempt to look cool and fun. That’s a big mistake because people actually want a brand that they can relate to. A quote by Joe Chernov, former HubSpot VP of marketing, perfectly sums this up “Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.” Fun, successful brands don’t have a larger-than-life attitude. They try to get as close to their customers as possible and connect with them on a personal level. One of the best examples of this approach comes from Dove and its Campaign for Real Beauty which celebrates diversity. Instead of hiring slim, tall, and conventionally attractive models, they used real-life women of all shapes and sizes. This brilliant move resonated with a much wider audience as many women felt that the brand acknowledged them and addressed their needs.
Polish your sense of humor
Humor can be your secret weapon in winning your customers over. However, you have to be very careful about the jokes you crack and make sure not to offend anybody. Some brands like to play with fire and be controversial, but you never know what the outcome might be, so it’s best to stay on the safe side. Chevrolet had an amazing idea to issue a press release entirely composed of emojis a couple of years ago and set the internet ablaze. However, although this didn’t go exactly as planned and there were many negative reviews, we can’t deny that this was a hilarious and memorable move.
Find a partner
Partnering with another business which offers complementary products is a great idea. This way you’ll expand your reach, target a new audience, and gain more exposure. Spotify and Genius teamed up and offered their audiences pre-populated playlists that showed the lyrics for each song as it played, together with some fun facts. By joining forces, you can come up with a new product or service and grow your respective brands.
Create a mascot
This may seem a bit far-fetched, but people absolutely love mascots. Moreover, a survey has shown that customers prefer mascots to celebrity endorsers. Duracell Bunny, Tony the Tiger, Julio Pringles, or Michelin Man have become true representatives of their brands. Their power is in being fun, recognizable, and they will surely capture their audience’s attention more easily than a boring, bland logo. There’s no better way to personify your brand and to visually represent its core values of than by creating a mascot. They also make excellent swag items as you can print them on T-shirts, baseball caps, pens, or even turn them into plush toys.
As you can see, there are various methods that can help you incorporate fun into your branding efforts.