Tracy – Page 4 – Right-Brain Brands

Who are we kidding?

As I was getting out the Morton Salt container I noticed something on the label I hadn’t noticed before.

Join. Share. Connect. Find us at Facebook.com/Morton Salt

Mind you, I love salt. Call me a huge salt fan, in fact. An early adopter: Fleur de sel, Himalayan, you name it. We have five kinds of salt at home right now. I’ve given salt as a gift as recently as this week. Having low blood pressure makes me happy, so I can enjoy salt without guilt.

But I don’t want to befriend it, Like it on Facebook or follow it on Twitter.

Are you a Yipee or a Yikes?

brand experience, empathy

Good news in my town yesterday. The Boston Globe reported that Wegmans, the grocery retailer with a cult-like following, will open a store in Newton, MA.

There have been a lot of vacant storefronts around here, even in this privileged Boston suburb. Every time we see a business preparing to open, we get a little excited. Could something fun and wonderful be coming to town?

But it’s usually a bank. Yuck. Another (bleep) bank, just what we need.

At best, a new bank branch will trigger a mild flicker of convenience for its current customers. For the rest of us, it’s Opportunity Lost. More same old. More corporate blandeur.

What’s love got to do with it? Steve Jobs and Netflix

empathy

Let’s talk about something that almost never comes up in a business discussion: Love.

Yes, that many-splendored thing. Emotions seldom arise in business (even branding) discussions. Love least of all, perhaps because it’s so rarely relevant. But sometimes true love happens. When it does it’s remarkable, worth our attention.

Two recent events brought love to mind: Steve Jobs’s death and Netflix’ clumsy self-destruction. Both offer lessons.

Amazon: Disaster averted?

empathy

In the weeks before Steve Jobs’ death, if you clicked on Amazon.com you saw Jeff Bezos’ open letter to customers, which began as follows:

Dear Customers,

There are two types of companies: those that work hard to charge customers more, and those that work hard to charge customers less. Both approaches can work. We are firmly in the second camp.

Thankfully, Amazon had the sense to take this down when Steve Jobs died. It was unworthy of a leading company, and Jeff Bezos was lucky it wasn’t posted longer.

Jet Blue: A whiff of Icarus

brand experience

I admire Jet Blue the brand, and I like the airline. Jet Blue has done a terrific job at creating a distinctive brand and generating customer loyalty. Many adore Jet Blue. One savvy business traveler I know flies nothing else, if he can help it. But I’m not sure I love Jet Blue as much as I’m supposed to–or quite as much as they love themselves.