Author Archives: Fred Kenogo

The ugly truth: Customers care less about your brand

I once was almost fired when l told a client that people were not interested in the fact that he had the best products in the market. Well, l quickly added that people are inherently self-centred in nature, care mainly about themselves and what they want. They are less interested in the brand’s features but mainly in its benefits such as how the brand makes them feel (the emotions) or if it solves a problem, they may have (the functions).

I am yet to meet a person that buys airtime for their phone just because it is the best airtime. They are more likely to buy it because it makes them get in touch with their friends. The service provider stands a better chance at selling the emotion of connecting with friends than how good their product is.

It therefore makes more sense if your brand focuses on selling a vision of how buying the product addresses a particular pain point or how their life will be better when they use your brand. The best way to make such a connection is to find out what really matters to your customers. One way to find this out is by asking your current customers about why they use your product and more so how it makes them feel. There is even hidden gem in complains they may have about your brand as it is an indicator of what they are looking for.

At Mirego, we believe that communication is a two-way process and starts by having a good understanding of the customers’ needs. We then develop messages that connect with them emotionally and inspires them to take action.

Get More from Your Brand Strategist

As brand strategists, we are often approached to create a new brand or rebrand an existing one. More often after undertaking a comprehensive review of the scope of the assignment, we realize that most of these requests are usually limited to the development of the visual identity for the brand which mainly addresses the logo and associated visual elements. It is true that visual identity is a critical part of a brand as it helps in differentiating and making it stand out from the rest. More importantly, it connects the experiences of the brand to the source of the product or service. It is similar to how we associate a name and a face to a person.

However, the most important part of the branding process is the mind of the consumer. No matter how good a brand strategist might be, we do not create the brand. That power lies in the minds of the consumer, where the perceptions are shaped.  For instance, a banking brand can make claims of being a youthful and the most innovative bank. However, if in practice such a bank does not translate this into relevant digital finance solutions or if old processes dodge the innovations, such a bank will be perceived as being old fashioned by the very youth it is trying to attract.

So if it is all about the consumer, do we really need a brand strategist? Absolutely. As brand strategists, we help put together solutions to enable the brand to influence and shape the audience perceptions. We do this through telling the brand story that builds emotional connections and ensuring that the story is consistently expressed across all brand touch points.  The touch points are usually spread throughout the customer journey, starting from way before they decide to purchase, during the process of purchasing and after they use the product. All exposure through this journey be it in the form of marketing and communication activities, customer service, packaging, product quality etc continually shapes the perceptions about the brand.  

brand touch points

A brand’s visual identity including elements such as the logo, colors, fonts, icons etc only act as a representation of the brand. The visual identity helps to establish recall and reinforce the connections that the brand has built over time.

At Mirego, we have the expertise and tools to help you to align your brand story and tell it at every key touch point. We believe that the more focused your brand story, the easier it will be for your customers to remember it. At Mirego, it is our job to influence the narrative and bring the brand to life by constantly engaging with the audience while creating an emotional connection with the brand at virtually every encounter.

MIREGO is Burundi’s leading, full service creative advertising, marketing & communications agency. Contact us for customized solutions that effectively tell your brand story.