Today we are asking the question: What brands have an advantage in 2021?
As we all approach the end of the pandemic, the consumer market is going to gravitate towards FUN. Hit the like button for me right now, if like me and millions of others, you are looking forward to a resurgence in our ways of life. We are witnessing the resurrection of our planet, and we are going to want to feel relief. Some kindness, something easy and sweet, heartfelt and uncomplicated. An uncomplicated love. We need a good laugh that isn’t at someone else’s expense. We need to be reminded of what we have right now that is so good, instead of what we don’t have yet, or what we’ve lost. We need to feel connected by our similarities, instead of divided by our differences. And in 2021, the brands who catch on to this megatrend— the resurgence of FUN, the brands who inspire a lighthearted sense of play in their brand communities, will be the brands who resonate with the world like never before.
I’m going to give you The Top 3 Trademarks of a FUN Brand in 2021 right now, and stick around until the end of the episode so you don’t miss out on an exclusive link to download the Branding Checklist full of top tips for how to connect with your ideal audience in 2021.
So, here we go: The Top 3 Trademarks of a FUN Brand as we move forward together in 2021 and beyond:
First, FUN brands provide: Fully-Immersive Experiences.
Being a fully-immersive brand in 2021 means that your brand is showing up where your ideal individuals are and consistently delivering new and exciting ways to live into the greater future promised by your brand. Whether it’s delivering emotional immersion through fun and engaging content on social media, delivering hands-on immersion through pop-ups, event booths, or brick and mortar special events, or your brand is encouraging community immersion through exciting and creative contests that compel your ideal audience to participate and interact with one another, fully-immersive experiences should evoke the senses and inspire creativity, connectivity, and community.
Full-immersion is something that is surprisingly hard to come across in today’s digital market. Considering that we see around 5,000 ads a day, we’ve all become professional deleters to save our minds from becoming overwhelmed. In fact research shows that our brains delete about 99% (!) of the ads we see everyday. To encounter a brand that offers us an immersive experience that holds our attention and delights our senses is a welcome and refreshing change to 99% of what is already out there.
The type of immersive experiences that will be a bullseye for your brand community can vary, depending on what type of business you are in, and what emotion your brand seeks to inspire most in your ideal individual.
If your product or service is related to the tech industry, then tech-related immersion is obviously a great way to go. Gaming, virtual reality simulations, creating avatars to interact with other brand enthusiasts…anything that is playful, gives your audience a chance to express themselves creatively, and draws your community closer to your brand is sure to have a positive impact on the hearts and minds of your customers.
If your product or service is related to the health and beauty industry, an immersive experience would be bringing the experience to them via popular expo’s and other related events. SInce it may still take some time for social gatherings to regain popularity, you can create webinars, have exciting giveaways, offer samples, or free upgrades to the experience. New technology allows customers to upload photos of themselves to “try-on” different shades of eyeshadow, hair styles, sunglasses, jewelry…to engage them in fun new ways while providing them more confidence in their purchase decisions.
If you are an expert in your field, start having online Q&A sessions that give your community a place to interact with you directly. Frequently post content that is uplifting, inspiring, engaging, or simply delightful, and has nothing to do with selling your products or services. Delightful content purely for the purpose of delighting people. An uncomplicated love.
Immersion in branding means to fully engage people’s senses. When it’s possible to engage your audience in person, the immersive experience can be more tactile, engaging touch, taste, and smell. When using immersion remotely, it’s all about inspiring emotions through memorable content, which we will talk more about in a moment.
Having a fully-immersive brand experience can even be as simple as sending a personalized thank you letter, or adding a fun thank you gift to your customer’s orders. Whatever creates a sense of connection and inspires a feeling that is always enjoyable to just linger in for a moment, like a sweet memory—such as appreciation, delight, surprise…this is a bullseye for securing brand loyalty.
What is most important about creating a fully-immersive experience that is fun and engaging for your customers and inspires brand loyalty, is to be fun for fun’s sake, like a memorable friend. Instead of the same old, just using humor to promote a product, like a funny-but-forgettable ad. Fun for fun’s sake from a brand is also more shareable like a meme, because it’s an invitation to join in on a laugh, to get in on a joke, to be included in something other people are enjoying— as opposed to passing along a veiled sales pitch, which isn’t nearly as fun.
The decision to buy is emotional, and in 2021 brands that make delivering consistent emotional value to their community a top priority, will possess a key component to securing brand loyalty. And remember, no matter what business you are in, brand loyalty is your business plan.
Next, the FUN brands in 2021 have: Unbreakable Spirit
Yes, we are all coming through something difficult, and YES- life isn’t always fun, but one of our most triumphant characteristics as a people, is our ability to rise up, to bounce back, to take our lessons on the chin and get up, dust ourselves off, and come back better than ever. In 2021, a brand with an Unbreakable Spirit, reminds us of ourselves. It says to your ideal individuals, “I see you as you are, and I believe in your strength. And come what may, you WILL laugh again. You WILL dance again. You WILL turn your face to the sun and smile again.”
FUN brands, just like our most fun friends, give us permission to smile and laugh, even through tears. Laughter is POWERFUL medicine, and your brand has the opportunity to be a healing balm as the world recovers together.
Get ready to see and hear and feel your way through an upcoming tidal wave of testaments to the Unbreakable Spirit of communities, families, and individuals. Stories of redemption. Stories of triumph through adversity. Stories of life-affirming revelations through the experiences of loss and tragedy. And it will be BEAUTIFUL. Get your brand on board to ride this wave, because the world will NEED to hear these stories. Source them from your own life, source them from your brand community, source them from wherever your ideal individuals need them to be, and share them honestly and frequently. Our most difficult experiences in life, transform themselves into stories that yield hope to others; they become tools that can be used to strengthen our resolve to keep going and never give up. They let people know that they aren’t alone. They let people know that everything is going to be okay. And that makes it okay to have some fun, make some jokes, and share a laugh even as life continues to be perfectly imperfect.
A brand that is about to make a MAJOR splash with the power of an Unbreakable Spirit will be the 2021 Olympics. When you think about it, every Olympic event is more than a sports competition; it’s a series of stories about overcoming adversities, of hard work, and sacrifice, and glory, and tragedy, and tears of relief, cheers of joy—with an authenticity that can’t be faked. And it’s going to be so much FUN, and a literal MAGNET for creating brand loyalists ESPECIALLY in 2021. Actually, I have a masterclass where I conduct a case study on the Olympics brand, and it will be a great resource to learn more about how you can use your brand to harness that same inspirational power of the unbreakable human spirit. Now I’ll be sure to add a link to that episode for you in the descriptions, so I’m really glad it came up.
The final Trademark of a FUN Brand in 2021 is: Natural Rapport
When a brand creates a community using the energy of fun, something magical happens. We become playful, we gain access to that kid inside us who is more accepting than rejecting. More curious than critical. And it feels so good. So easy. So natural.
According to the Association for Psychological Science, research has found evidence that adults who make time for play experience less fatigue, less boredom, and less stress. Play is also positively associated with satisfaction, a sense of competence, and soaring creativity. Studies show that when a person receives a message that is presented playfully, they are more involved and spend more time thinking about the message. Now imagine that playful message is an invitation to join your brand community…Inspiring a sense of play in your ideal individuals is a branding superpower.
We have the most fun with those whom we feel we can really be ourselves around. Whether it’s someone we’ve known for years, or someone with whom we just automatically “clicked with.” You know what I mean? Those rare and wonderful encounters with someone that just feel so comfortable and easy almost immediately? Your brand can be that kindred spirit, that friendship that just clicks immediately. And here’s the secret to creating that instant camaraderie through the expression of your brand:
Creating a Natural Rapport with your ideal individuals is about knowing them best. The brand that knows them best, is the brand who wins brand loyalty. Listen carefully to your ideal individuals, wherever they are. It’s never too early to start getting to know your ideal individuals, and every dollar a brand makes will always be directly connected to how well that brand listens.
When your brand message, and the voice of your brand’s social media personality finds a Natural Rapport with your ideal individuals, you’ve struck branding gold! And the FUN can really begin.
So, now you have The 3 Trademarks of Fun Brand in 2021:
Fully-Immersive Experiences
Unbreakable Spirit
Natural Rapport
You can see it spells FUN, so it’ll be a tool you can remember and access easily. And speaking of access, I remember I promised you an exclusive link for the Branding Checklist, so don’t miss out on that. Make sure you download it because it’s an excellent brand-building tool.
Thank you so much for joining me! If you enjoyed this episode follow me on FB and IG and subscribe to my YouTube channel, so you don’t miss a single thing. I release new videos every Tuesday and Thursday, so treat these episodes as a masterclass for becoming an Inspiration to Millions with Branding. And as always the way to becoming an Inspiration to Millions and having FUN while you’re at it, starts with our motto: Love What You Do and Love How You Do It.