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Creating an emotional bond with consumers requires more than good marketing. It requires understanding your audience, being authentic, building trust, connecting personally, and inspiring storytelling.
Which brands do you think got emotional branding right?
In 2021, Chipotle noticed that conversations were happening on Roblox around their brand, with fans creating Chipotle-themed avatars and games. They decided to mix things up and brought their annual Halloween “Boorito” promotion to the Metaverse in partnership with Roblox. Each day, the campaign prompted Roblox users to dress up their avatars in Chipotle-inspired costumes and accessories, including Chip Bag Ghost, Burrito Mummy, Spicy Devil, and Guacenstein. Users were then encouraged to visit the Chipotle virtual store to retrieve a code for a free burrito to be redeemed online. Users could also interact with the Chipotle Boorito Maze to collect ingredients that would give them superpowers to avoid spooky monsters. Once users reached the maze's center, they could access free and exclusive Chipotle-themed virtual items for their avatar. Chipotle’s share of the proceeds from the sales of the in-game items was donated to a cause that supports young farmers.
Chipotle is always experimenting on new platforms to meet their customers where they are at, providing them with an experience and value exchange that’s authentic. More than 8.5 million people visited the maze since it launched in October and this number continues to grow as Chipotle decided to keep it going.
New Name, Same Problems
Unfortunately for Facebook, trying to hide its problems behind a new name doesn't work. Facebook rebranded itself to Meta, bringing together its different apps and technologies. Apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp are now a part of the new metaverse-focused parent company. This announcement came on the heels as the social media giant dealt with claims that it had violated individual privacy, bullied small companies as a monopoly, damaged teens’ mental health, and even incited violent insurrections. CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg presented a six-minute video of why the company was rebranding itself and its agenda. In the video, Zuckerberg came across as uncomfortable and awkward.
According to the Harris Brand Platform, Facebook’s trustworthy score dipped to 6.2% once they announced their rebrand to Meta, Source. And a CNN survey released in November found that 76% of adults believe “Facebook makes American society worse,” Source. U.S. teenagers' 'time spent' on Facebook was down 16% in 2021 compared with 2020. Source.
Geico started disrupting the insurance industry 20 years ago. It was then when we first met the personable green gecko with a British accent that America fell in love with. We learned a simple message that hasn’t changed since: “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.” What separates them from the pack is that they deliver this consistent message across a wide variety of amazingly creative and humorous ads: gecko, caveman, when pigs fly, spy mom, hump day, tag team helps with dessert.
How many of these ads do you remember? Geico’s emotional branding approach has impacted its brand awareness and performance being the second-largest insurance company by market share.
Peloton, known for its cult-like, loyal fan base, thought they could ignore safety issues. In March, Peloton received a handful of 'incidents' related to its Tread+ treadmill including the death of a child who’d been pulled below the belt. In April, The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned Peloton owners to stop using the Tread+ if they had small kids, or pets at home, citing “serious risks." Peloton initially pushed back on the CPSC’s guidance, indicating that their statement was a “misleading, inaccurate bulletin.” CEO, John Foley, posted a letter on Peloton’s website acknowledging “a small handful of incidents'' related to its Tread+ machines and that “there is no reason to stop using the Tread+ as long as all warnings and safety instructions are followed.” After mounting pressure from U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill) who told the press that “one family will never be the same…because a new, ‘hot’ company prioritized their brand over human life," in addition to receiving 72 reports of adult users, children, pets, and/or objects being pulled under the rear of the treadmill, including 29 reports of injuries to children such as second- and third-degree abrasions, broken bones, and lacerations, Peloton changed their tune Source. In May, Peloton voluntarily recalled its Tread+ stating, “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+. We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset,” Foley said. “For that, I apologize.”
Following the announcement, Peloton’s stock plunged 16% equating to a loss in value of about $4 billion. Peloton estimated the treadmill recall would cost the company about $165 million in lost revenue during the quarter, and result in a $16 million hit to its profits.
According to a recent study published in Harvard Business Review, being emotionally in-tune with your customers can make or break your business. Researchers found that tapping into a customer’s unspoken emotional needs is the most effective way to maximize that customer’s lifetime value (CLV). Source Hopefully it’s obvious to you which of these brands were desperate and which were dialed in, driving increased CLV. Start building your brand leadership today. You’ve got this!
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.