I'm not old, but I'm not exactly young either. I still remember the times back in the day where you used to be able to do things like call a girl out of the blue. And I don't mean text, but actually speak to her on the phone. Or when you could send a bouquet of flowers to her house. Or pick her up at her house before you went out on a date.
If you do any of these things in the modern era, you'll not only sink any hopes of actually courting a woman (a term we old folk still like to use), but your chances of ending up on a police sketch report become more likely than not. In this day in age of Tindering, and in business, attention spans are short, options are unlimited, so the sense of urgency you need to communicate who you are goes up a notch or ten.
Where I'm from (Seattle, let's just say circa early 80's), we still believe in a thing called love and relationships. Which is why I got into branding in the first place. I don't believe in shoving things you don't want down your throat, I believe in connections.
One of my favorite branding quotes ever comes from the uber talented and disgustingly successful creative director, Yo Santosa.
"People don't fall in love with businesses, they fall in love with personalities." -Yo Santosa. (See more of her talk here)
Yo Santosa, my spirit animal.
Boom.
Blog over right? Okay I'll elaborate a bit more.
See the thing is, building a brand is exactly like building a personality. The worst "brands", if you can even call them that, are not really personalities at all. They're a shadow of a personality. Kind of like those guys on the Bachelor (I kid. But seriously, switch it up a little ABC. Not that I watch it or anything.).
So here's the challenge. Make a girl, perhaps out of your league, if that's your demographic, fall in love with you.
That all sounds great. But some specifics would be nice.
Well first-you need to look nice and presentable. That's where things like graphics and photography come into play. If your brand doesn't look nice, that's like showing up to a date in sweat pants and flip flops. (That's really specific-it's not like that's happened to me or anything)
Put on some nice jeans. A collared shirt. A nice watch. Look clean, modern, sophisticated. And if you're someone like Audi, look like a million bucks.
Next-you need to start speaking like a gentlemen. This is where us copywriters come in. Speak to your date like you're super interested in them. Ask them what they like, what they dislike, what they want out of life. Most importantly-don't treat them like objective where you're trying to get "something" out of them (I'm talking about money, get your mind out of the gutter).
Last but perhaps most importantly-you can start talking about your benefits. But not in a sales-y way, but in a "what can you offer them that others can't" kind of way. After all, your customers, err...dates, have a ton of choices, and it's up to you to sell them on why they should choose you over everyone else.
Branding and personal relationships ultimately all come down to one thing: Trust
What this all comes down to is trust. And to a certain extent, likability. People/dates want to know that they can trust you and they like you. If you can play the part of their soulmate, you might be onto something special.