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Daring to Craft Meaningful Reputations
Daring to Craft Meaningful Reputations
Published 11-26-08
Submitted by Cahan & Associates
SAN FRANCISCO, CA "“ The employees of Cahan & Associates are gathered in their conference room, quiet and attentive. Jerry Holtaway, a new addition to the team and so-called "Reputation Consultant," is telling a story about two coffees.
The story paints a portrait of two brands, one that has become ubiquitous, with a coffee shop on every street corner, and the other that has quietly taken up anonymous residence in the kitchens of corporate America. So what made them so different? Meaningful emotion.
But it's not only about emotions - it is about how we link specific emotions (such as, "I felt like this") to rational memory (such as, "when I did that"). These intertwined memories work in two ways: first by keeping the company 'top of mind' when the need next arises for their product, and second, by providing more powerful stories to tell when someone asks about the company, its services or products.
In this context, a company's reputation is defined by the way in which consumers remember, and talk about, a company based on their experiences with that company. And, as Mr. Holtaway posited, the more vibrant and emotionally meaningful these experiences are, the more positive and differentiated the company's reputation will be.
According to Mr. Holtaway, for a company to move from a 'good' reputation to one that is 'meaningful' involves identifying a set of positive emotions the company can credibly own and make them the focus of everything the company does in terms of the aesthetics, discourse and functionally of every experience people have with the company.
As such, it will be up to Cahan & Associates to start the ‘meaningful reputation' process by defining the company's 'emotional space,' or the three or four positive emotions the company desires to 'own.' These emotions then drive thinking on the development of an ‘emotional context' into which all future interactions with the company will occur. Designers then use this context to develop the look and feel (aesthetic), the story and messaging (discourse) and new ways of dealing with, or getting information from, the company (functionality).
Once deployed, this aesthetic, discourse and functionality lead to a consistent world of 'meaningful interactions' between the company and the people important to its success (through traditional and online advertising, CRM, point of sale, etc). As memories, these deeply positive interactions shape the company’s ‘meaningful reputation.' As a result, a focused and emotionally gratifying memory of the company shoots to the surface when the need for the company’s products or services arises (differentiation and preference) and when the person is asked for a recommendation (advocacy).
So why focus on reputation? The word effectively eliminates 'brand babble' and focuses on the end result: "what will be remembered and why?'
Where traditional 'branding' is all about defining what a company, product or service is. "Meaningful reputations" is all about defining what a company, product or service desires to be.
Traditional 'branding' is all about process, presentation decks and long time-frames. "Meaningful reputations" is all about intuition, one-page documents and fast time to market.
Traditional 'branding' is all about theory. "Meaningful reputations" are all about actionable ideas.
Traditional 'branding' leaves creative people baffled. "Meaningful reputations" speaks the emotional language of creative expression.
Traditional 'branding' provides a comfort zone to lumbering corporations. "Meaningful reputations" enable ambitious business leaders to leap ahead quickly with new confidence.
These distinctions were a clear signal to designers present in the room that they will no longer be "branding" companies; rather, they will be creating meaningful reputations that allow companies to build better relationships with its consumers.
Though this new approach has yet to be put to the test, it is assumed that there will be a range of benefits. Specifically, companies will no longer need to spend inordinate amounts of time, money, and effort on 'branding,' as Cahan & Associates promises to offer a suite of reputation building services that "“thanks to a streamlined process and strong creative stance "“ will get companies to where they need to be smarter, faster and more economically.
Cahan & Associates is a reputation think tank, based in San Francisco, which has produced work for a variety of organizations, including several Fortune 500 companies, that has won over 2700 awards. We are experts at connecting companies, products and services with the people vital to their success, on an emotional, intellectual and meaningful level.
For more information about Cahan & Associates or to see examples of our work, contact Christine Wennekamp or Tracy Lloyd, Cahan & Associates, 171 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 621-0915 or via email : newbusiness@cahanassociates.com.
Cahan & Associates
Cahan & Associates
Cahan & Associates is a strategic brand and design firm known for our working creating communications known for our work creating communications that are persuasive, memorable, easily understood and stand out from the crowd. Over the last 23 years we have garnered over 2,700 awards nationally and internationally for our work with clients such as The Gap, HP, VM ware, ALDO Shoes, Herman Miller, Morgan Stanley, Gibson Dunn, Institute for One World Health, and Charles Schwab. We have been featured by CNN and CNBC, as well as Fast Company, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Associated Press and prestigious design magazines worldwide. We are a certified green business and offer our clients eco-friendly strategy and design solutions, and enjoy working with clients on developing and communicating their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Please contact us for more information on our services including:
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