Humans have a deep need to belong and connect with others. Brands help fulfill this need by facilitating connections between people and signaling who they belong with. A key component of a brand's identity is defining its "reflected consumer" - the type of person the brand aims to build as a reflection of its customers. Marketers often mistake the target customer for the brand's reflection, focusing on current purchasers rather than how the brand wants customers to see themselves. Effective branding communicates a desired reflection to customers rather than just speaking to their current needs.

1. what is your brand’s reflection?

2. humans have a deep rooted need to belong

3. we need
to feel
connected

4. loved

5. and a part of
something
larger than
ourselves

6. brands play a major role in helping us fulfill this need

7. not only can
they facilitate
connecting us
to others

8. but they also help
us signal who we
belong with

9. and because of this signal…

10. a key of component
of any brand’s
identity is defining
it’s “reflected
consumer”

11. why?

12. “a brand is a customer’s (desired) reflection”
— jean-noël kapferer

13. a brand’s
communications

15. stores

17. and
products

19. all work to build a reflection of it’s customer

20. as a result…
W

21. we have an idea of the type of person that drives this

22. watches
this

23. and
uses
this

24. and
uses
this
versus
this

25. The problem is marketers often
mistake the target customer with
the brand’s reflection
marketers often mistake target and reflection

26. the target is your
current & potential
purchasers

27. the reflection is the way
your target wishes to be
seen as a result of
interacting with the brand

28. although your target
may look like this

29. they may
want others
to see them
like this

30. at least
this guy
did

31. one key way marketers
speak to the target instead of
their desired reflection is
through the constant use of
“that’s why” advertising
and we all know “that’s
why” advertising

32. problem: can’t sleep?
solution: that’s why there is brand X

33. “‘that’s why’ advertising navigates by reference to
consumers. it holds up a mirror to their lives—or
what the advertisers supposes are their lives—and
gives them a reason to believe the product we are
selling contains something that will make their day
better in some regard. in this situation i, the brand,
am acting in effect as a mirror.”
-adam morgan, eating the big fish

34. and so we
speak to
them as
they are

35. Need And so…
new
We speak to
them as they are,
not as they want
to be seen
not as they
wish to be
seen as users
of our brand

36. do you know your brand’s reflection?

37. to answer this question, finish this sentence

38. to answer this question, finish this sentence

39. when others talk about people who interact
with my brand they say:
“they are…”

40. when others talk about people who interact
with my brand they say:
“they are…”

41. brands can have incredible power…
be extraordinary

42. brands can have incredible power…
be extraordinary

43. web site: http://detavio.com
twitter: @detavio
marketing consulting, workshops, speaking
engagements: detavio@gmail.com