Love brand - love & Branding
A deep feeling we have for brands that succeed in reaching our hearts. Their story and expression are a declaration of love for what they do.
🔸 Your Branding letter is written with care and dedication. Every issue is a selection of insights, inspiration, definitions, and spotlights on branding.
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👋 Hello brand enthusiast, how are you doing today?
Today I would like to reflect on the concept of love brand, a state your brand could grow towards. We all know and use brands with whom we have a magnetic pull to their products, services and founders.
What makes us love a brand? Love is quite a big word when it comes to branding from a purely commercial perspective. Yet, that pull and attraction towards a brand we resonate with do exist, and we have all experienced it. The end result can be a sale, a booking, a following, a fanbase, and becoming a part of a community. Some brands explicitly talk about love as their niche, such as Meetic and Bumble. They bridge the gap by providing a space where people can potentially meet their soulmates. However, I did not want to take that angle for this letter.
I believe in the magnetic power of a brand, which is fueled by the core beliefs and expressions of its founders and team. Becoming a love brand is a journey of creating momentum and captivating your audience, but is there a formula for that? If so, we would see love brands everywhere. However, very few brands reach that status, which allows them to overflow. We can look to pop culture and analyze what turns anonymous people into raging fans who are willing to stand in line for hours to see, buy, listen, or simply have contact with a brand.
Love brands succeed in building a bubble for each person who resonates with them. They feel heard, seen, and understood. Also, maybe provided with a solution that can improve a life situation. It is intangible and a work of art.
💪 Love is a powerful feeling in Branding
✅ Create a Brand platform based on YOU (Anthony Bourbon embodies both love and hate from the audience. I have met people who could not accept his way of building as an entrepreneur, while others think he is a genius. No matter what you think of him, you cannot be immune to his style and vision. I have always been fascinated by the divisive aspect of certain brands, which becomes their beacon for growth and gathering).
✅ The power couple is a multitude (Doshi Levien - embodies a branding entrusted in pursuit of beauty in love. You cannot comprehend the richness of their work through one lens. Their body of work makes the branding. That is art!).
(Doshi Levien was my power couple spotlight on Your creative letter, you can read it there)
✅ Healthy foodie club - ZENB does magic at this. (Healthy vegetables and fruits have the best branding of all time within the hands of our evolution. The historical proof of their efficiency makes them a love brand. Each one of them has its iconic tagline*).
*one apple a day keeps the doctor away
💡 Branding spotlight: Gisou
A Brand you can fall in love with!
You may think: ''Oh, another beauty brand, another influencer that creates a miracle product''. I had that first thought but changed my mind. It took me encounters with the Branding of Gisou to see through beyond the glitter. It is a glowing beauty brand founded by Negin Mirsalehi, who took a family tradition into a global movement. What Gisou has shared with the world is a renewed beauty routine elevating the sacred Honey. I am a honey user inside-out, thus, it resonates with my family's beauty traditions.
What I find engaging is not only the story behind Gisou but also the set of values that go into making the family recipe. When we make a purchase, we're often looking for a particular feeling or experience, and that's precisely what Gisou provides. It's like a secret club that you want to be part of, with exclusive benefits. As women, we often appreciate this sense of sisterhood. Initially, I was unsure if Gisou could offer support for my afro hair, but after doing my research and seeing many women with hair like mine using Gisou with ease, I decided to give it a try!
Honey is universal, it applies to every culture.
What makes their branding so powerful?
🤔 A name that is enigmatic and that matches the spotlight ingredient: honey.
🏠 A family story passed down to generations. A beauty routine that echoes with any woman in the world, honey is universal after all.
✅ A visual identity which plays with the material: the dropping, the texture, the transparency, and the glow. Honey traits are elevated with a sophisticated yet accessible, feminine, foodie vibe. We do eat honey, right? That eatability is infused within the visual cinematography of Gisou.
💎 A personality + it girl status → Negin Mirsalehi is the force and storyteller of Gisou. She has within her hands the secret recipe everyone wants. Her glow is a statement of how beneficial honey is for the women of her family.
🐝 As a consumer, knowing where the bees and honey come from is a green light. Gisou is transparent about sustainability and awareness of the process. For me, the nurturing of the ecosystem is a love brand act.
Beauty is in the eye of the beekeeper
Cool links to click on
Darkroom Agency (creating cohesive value for E-commerce Brands)
Branding for tomorrow (career path and thoughts of Joanne Chan)
The love of Karaoke is a crescendo (the success of BAM Karaoke in France)
Fend a new breath (I stumbled upon the concept and was intrigued…)
A revamp for Burberry (looking into the archives for a reveal: back to the origins)
🎈 Fun brand(ING) prompt / 005
Can you name a brand you LOVE? and that feeling has been a growing one!
Video, words, illustration, animation… you choose. Short and sweet.
As you are, you brand → charge towards love inside-out
I hope you enjoyed the read of the week. If yes, share it with peers, friends and family. Sharing is loving.
Yours creatively,
Keva.