Posted on by Christopher Carfi

A Brand Is A Place, Not A Thing

Hugh writes:

“A brand is a place, not a thing. (i.e. A place where people gather and do wonderful things.)”

Agreed. Strongly.

Let’s roll with this, especially in the context of the relationship hub discussion. First off, let’s get this out in the open: it’s the customer’s choice whether he or she wants to visit any of these “places,” and it’s the customer’s choice what happens once he or she gets there.

Now, that being said, it seems to me that there are three ways for this “place” to spring into existence.

  • The vendor/brand can provide a venue that the customer may visit. Vendor-driven users groups are a great example. Online communities are another. A corporate blog is yet another. Example: RUG. (disclosure: we’ve done some work with these folks in the past)
  • A social customer may create a venue like this or this or this. Smart companies will show up at the customer’s door and jump right in to the conversation. As noted a number of times previously, David S. does this really well (check the comments here when Jason C. teed off on Technorati).

  • A neutral venue may exist, like Epinions, where both the customers and the vendors can gather.

In no case is the “brand” in charge of the conversation at any of these venues.

Homework: Which of these three types of venues exist for your company/brand? And who from your company (anyone? anyone? Bueller?) is bellying up to the bar at each of them?

3 Replies to “A Brand Is A Place, Not A Thing”

  1. Sorry if I’m off topic here — first time visitor/first time reader. Followed a link from WebPro News…

    I am wondering how that “Passion Index/Score” was arrived at regarding the love/hate of various brands. Can you tell me what the formula is please. I’m quite curious to know.

    Thanks

  2. I really like your concept of the social customer.

    And this is why…

    we are just about done with writing a book entitled Communities Dominate Brands.

    Part of the discourse is about how customers have become empowered via the internet, the blog, the mobile phone, released from big media control via TiVo and PVR’s, and have learn’t that the power of a community online and off can be a very powerful thing. Class action against Verizon for example.

    Businesses have to understand that as you say they need to participate in the conversation and that business success will now be predicated on enabling their customers rather than saying we have made 10 million widgets we need to sell 10 million widgets. Businesses therefore also have to become more social and I guess that means two-way flows of information. And a different type of discourse?

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