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April's
Articles for Giftware News:
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My Brand, Your
Brand
I
have done a lot of thinking about brands over the last year. At
one time I didn’t even care for the word ‘branded’-
it sounded like an excuse for somebody who didn’t know what
they wanted unless it was a known brand. I have never been like
that—I have always enjoyed looking in the corners and around
the bend for my ideas. I didn’t pursue brands as much as
beauty and I loved finding something unusual. Then, when people
starting talking about my brand—April Cornell—I started
to understand how personal a brand can really be. How unique,
how particular and how its values and expression could be as individual
as an individual. My brand—a reflection of my values—was
about beauty—always, and the unexpected—time and again.
And people—customers identified those characteristics as
a brand, The April Cornell brand.
In Marketing it is said that a brand exists in the mind of the
customer. The brand exists because the customer says it does.
It is distinctive characteristics that create a brand. And the
customer recognizes the distinctive characteristics. Brands have
recurring behaviors and values that can be relied upon to be present.
Brands have longevity. They need to—because true brands
are developed over time.
Here is a brand story—When I was a child of twelve, my brother
was born. He was the first boy after three girls and all of us
were fascinated by him. I remember him being so beautiful, black
haired and pink cheeked in his ‘Dr. Denton’s”
pajamas. Dr. Denton’s were an old fashioned soft knit footed
pajama with a trap door. They were quintessential childhood. And
somehow at twelve I knew that Dr. Denton’s was a quality
brand suitable for our new brother. When I had my own children
I too looked for Dr. Denton’s quality pajamas. It was a
brand that I recognized and in my mind it stood for the intangible
image of a cared for child. That is a brand—and it exists
because enough people believe it to have specific and desirable
attributes. Today there are many brands to choose from. As consumers
we have lots of choices but it is still the consumer who says
whether or not a brand exists.
What is your brand? What does your business stand for? Are you
a retailer? Or maybe a wholesaler? What is your message to the
world? What are you known by? Is it design? Is it service? Is
it price? Is it exclusivity? Is it quality? Is it for variety,
or is it your niche—a pocket of expertise? Are you about
trend, or about classic styling, about fun stuff, or an elegant
approach? Whatever those characteristics are—if they are
strong and vibrant—they are your own brand. I have a few
favorite brands
- In
airlines I love British Airways—for their quality—they
have the best seats and impeccable food, and I think Jet Blue
is terrific. I love their attitude and their blue chips and
their TVs and their headsets, they lay on the extras and call
themselves no frills!
- In
shoes I adore Camper’s—they were thinking of me
when they made their non identical Twin shoes colorful, artistic
and they fit my feet!
- In
shops I like Oilily—I love their color, their experimentation
and their surprising fabrics. I like the fact that it is a
Dutch company and they march to their own beat
- In
fabrics I think Moda is terrific—their cotton quality
is fabulous, crisp polished cottons and clear printing, they
offer coordination and a wide range of selection. I can see
the thinking mind behind their choices.
- In
cereals I like my dependable Kellogg’s Cornflakes, with
my favorite Sun Maid raisins—it’s eating a bowl
of morning goodness—I think I have even absorbed their
tag line in my breakfast experience!
- In
watercolors Winsor and Newton, especially their travel set,
it’s made me a painter anywhere—and the quality
of paints is excellent.
- In
Hotels—I love The Neemrana group, an exclusive and funky
chain of small hotels in India, where not even a brass nail
is out of place and the walls are layers of rose colored peeling
paint—each a natural artwork. I can feel the artists
and architect behind their every room. They astonish me and
reveal India’s secrets through a hotel.
- And
for the all around sensory shopping experience—April
Cornell—well she gets me!
If you want to understand your own personal brand—here is
a simple exercise that companies use: Write a list with two columns,
one column with ten words that describes your business and one
column with ten words that are the antithesis of your brand. Does
that look like who you are? Are you indeed the words that you
want to be? This is a great way to talk about yourself and your
company, your customers and your ideas—it is a great list
to check back against when you find yourself wandering away from
your own vision. Big companies, big brands, do this exercise every
few years. Brands are not born overnight, they experiment and
work with ideas until their uniqueness becomes obvious.
It takes time for a brand to be recognized. Good brands—are
the best of what an individual can offer—because they reflect
the most authentic part of them—and therefore a good brand—your
brand—should come easily to you. It is who you are.
April Cornell
Burlington, Vermont |
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