Be a Patron of the Brand Arts

The Good Samaritan, Vincent Van Gogh,
oil on canvas, 1890

"In a picture I want to say something comforting as music is comforting. I want to paint men and women with that something of the eternal which the halo used to symbolize, and which we seek to give by the actual radiance and vibration of our colorings…" –Van Gogh

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Just as consumers connect with the people component of your brand, they connect with the visual “painting” of your brand as well through shared values.

People are emotional intuitive beings who are actually the determinants of what your brand is. It’s not what you say your brand is; it’s what the customer says it is. However, we can influence the way people emotionally respond to an organization through branding. Just as Van Gogh and other masters did with canvas and oils, so it goes with branding. The medium is different. The act of messaging is not.

Your brand requires consistent development. If your brand embraces artistry and cultivates meaning (an authentic message about your organization’s culture), then you’ve increased your odds for connection. You’ve demonstrated the importance of the emotional aspect of your brand, which in turn means you’ve humanized the building process. Treating people as people and less as sales quotas will in turn…not only increase sales figures but, more importantly, create brand evangelists.

If the organization places little to no value with regards to any aspect of the brand, including the visual, then you lose the emotional connection with consumers. Its ho-hum, void-of-value-system comes across loud and clear to the consumer, adversely affecting the consumer’s perception of the brand.

Convey the value of the person within the brand by promoting excellence and authenticity at every turn. Even if you offer a low-cost product or service, the quality of the presentation and service will speak to the value you have for your customer.