The Sacredness of Your Brand

It may seem a bit far-fetched to speak of your brand as being of a sacred nature, but really successful brands are sacred to their fans. Think of how Apple users, Starbucks loyalists, NASCAR enthusiasts, or Dead Heads relate to these brands. Brand loyalty seems such an inefficient description of how these admirers feel about their relationships. Sacredness means a feeling of reverence for a unique, special, venerable idea. When we consider something sacred, it has a certain devotional quality, immune from criticism, devoid of dissenting opinion. When we hold a brand sacred, if pressed, we may even admit that we don’t think that we can live without it. I personally never fly without my supply of Airborne. I ritualistically take a dose before my flight, during my flight, and afterwards. If I find that I run out of my supply in a foreign place where it is not for sale, I will have it shipped to me. Now that’s reverence.

I also felt similarly to my last laptop. Yes it was an Apple—cool, hip, and user-friendly. But there was something that seemed much deeper—something that spoke of my devotion to that lump of metal and chips. I guess that I considered it my lucky charm. Many great business deals were made on that 18-month old inanimate object. And as I was writing Whiff!, I could feel the emotional attachment. While in the middle of writing the book, a British hotel doorman dropped it on the curb, putting a small dent into the frame, and a minute crack in the 17-inch screen. At first I was devastated, for my pride and joy was injured and hurting. And when I found out the cost of replacing the screen, I knew that my relationship with this PowerBook friend was eventually terminal. But I made a decision to keep on writing on the laptop until I finished the book. For this was my lucky laptop, and its particular brand of magic was transferred to the book that I certainly hope that you’ve read by now.

This all may seem irrational, but such is also the nature of many religious concepts. Do you have any sacred brands or products in your own life that you feel a sort of reverence for? Think about your feelings for your car, your home, your PDA, or your political affiliation. In pondering these elements, how does your own product or brand hold up in the sacred-quotient with your own customers?