Although most people mistake brands for merely a logo, it goes way beyond that. A brand resembles the collective and synergistic outcome of several elements including the brand’s logo, colour palette, and ritual.
Many brands tend to create rituals which entail certain habits or behaviours associated with their identity to increase their brand’s attractiveness and consumers’ loyalty.
A ritual becomes a common ground where all consumers connect and interact with the brand. It also helps to build brand familiarity which translates into trust later on.
Although it takes a lot of time to build a ritual, its effects will last for generations. Think about Oreo, for example, it’s not really a special cookie, but it has managed to create a ritual and communicate it repeatedly for its consumers.
Wherever you go, in any part of the world, you’ll definitely meet people who know how to eat an Oreo correctly.
Brand rituals are a very powerful tool. It helps create nostalgia, and it makes consumers engage with the brands’ offerings. This, in turn, shows that consumers care enough to take part in the ritual and thus, it certainly adds a lot of value to the brand’s offering.
Building a brand ritual could be through repetition, but the key is that it has to speak into the brand’s core elements and identity.
The reason why most brand rituals are effective lies in the fact that humans always seek belonging, whether to a brand or a tribe of some sort.
Having a ritual creates a sense of connectivity with brands and other consumers.
As it seems, humans always have a tendency to belong to a community which caters to their needs and to their self-image. When creating a brand ritual, it invites consumers to become a member of the brand’s “tribe” or community.
To add up, upon building a community of brand enthusiasts, consumers are more likely to interact with one another which increases the brand’s perceived value. It also shifts the brand’s perception and creates more affective consumers’ responses.
A brand-specific ritual helps to create a culture where it blends different sets of values with emotional connection and extends them with the brand’s symbols, stories, logo, and different artefacts.
This allows the brand to create a special bond and to develop meaningful engagements with their consumers.
Another importance for a brand ritual lies in encouraging consumers’ repeated purchases which transforms into a habit later on. This helps the brands to predict their consumers’ behaviour.
For example, the Oreo ritual encourages dunking the cookie in milk which generates a lot of opportunities for the brand. Oreo could offer promotions or extend their cross-selling opportunities while increasing their brand’s value in the process.
It’s very essential to build a brand ritual which is consistent with the brand’s identity and communicated thoroughly.
By doing so, the brand will stand out from their competitors and become able to communicate with their consumers on a deeper level. It will certainly make a brand unique and add up to its perceived value.
Has any brand ritual come to your mind while reading this? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
BBB- Buyer's Black Box 