Emotional Intelligence: why every brand should have it

September 23, 2014

Last week, I had the opportunity to interview Jen Groover. Her remarks on emotional intelligence got me thinking about the larger issue of how brands need to think about connecting with today’s totally connected, super-empowered customers. So here are some corollaries from her insights into the issue:

Branding is emotion. Economics is a social science, with its basis in psychology and human motivation. People care about the brands that they love. Successful brands surround themselves with a compelling emotional narrative that speaks directly to the needs of customers. For example, when people buy Game of Thrones merchandise, they are buying both a useful item and the story of Game of Thrones. When someone buys a Craftsman tool, they are buying the narrative of the brand.

Know yourself, know your brand. Bruce Lee wrote:“Lack of self awareness renders us transparent, a soul that knows itself is opaque.” This quote applies to branding. If all levels of the organization fully understand the brand promise and message, and are emotionally intelligent themselves, they will be able to better engage with clients, while also being able to innovate and create opportunities in the market space that can surprise competitors. The risk of lacking emotional intelligence lies in the organization/brand becoming reactive and predictable.

Emotionally intelligent is responsive. Part of the practice of emotional intelligence is understanding how you feel and why you are feeling this way. Brand marketers who understand the core story of their business and their brand have an advantage over their competition.

Being responsive eliminates risk. A responsive marketer will see and make use of trends as they start to emerge from  ongoing conversations and guidance provided by customers. The give and taken between customers and brand is like the exchange between performer and audience. A motivated, sincere customer base can provide savvy marketers with information they need to defeat the competition.

Emotionally intelligent marketers who understand their own brand story won’t be blown about by the various twists and turns of the brand conversation.

A Jen points out in the interview, Apple Computer is an example of a brand that knows and understands its core offering and brand promise, making it responsive to customer needs.

If you try to please everyone, you end up with nothing. This point relates to the brand promise. Once you identify it, taking into account what customers have expressed as their needs, don’t compromise on it. The brand promise should only be moderated in direct response to expressed customer needs. Following competitor trends or fashionable ideas can be disastrous for brands if done without this proposition in mind.

Find the customer needs that need to be satisfied before anyone else does. If you understand your customer and know your brand promise, you can anticipate customer needs and modify your actions as these new trends arise. This is the essential heart of marketing. If you have this down, then you will have the first mover advantage against brand competition.

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