The Biggest Mistake Companies Can Make Today Is Hiding Their Brand Soul

Why revealing your brand from the inside out is the best way to build customer loyalty today

Photo by Michael from Pexels

Have you ever been wrong about a person before? Misperceived them initially or misunderstood their motives? Avoided them? But then discovered you really liked being around them? Or how about a place, such as a restaurant you didn’t think you’d like, but now it’s your favorite place to hang out? Or perhaps another city, state, or country you thought you’d hate? Only to later realize you might want to live there someday?

These misperceptions happen all the time. And while we blame ourselves for these misperceptions, sometimes it’s not us; it’s them — the people in charge of their brand.

Perceptions are reality

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t live in reality. I live in a world of perceptions. Although I went to architecture school, I often refer to what my colleagues and I do as perception design and perception management because a big part of our job entails shaping customer perceptions.

Most companies try to manage their brand through clever advertising campaigns and marketing materials, but my colleagues and I manage perceptions through the real-life experience of getting to know a brand in person. Much of what we do in our work with clients entails uncovering the general public’s perceptions about a place — such as a restaurant, grocery store, mall, college campus, or urban district. But instead of just letting those perceptions fall where they may, we help our clients steer them in the right direction and towards a specific destination.

Listening to customers talk about the perception of your brand is not easy, particularly when it’s not true or accurate. Many managers dismiss customers as “not knowing the facts,” but the general public doesn’t care about facts. Why? Because they don’t have time, interest, or access to study the facts. Instead, the general public uses their power of perceptions to make snap judgments and decisions about a person, place, or brand, and many companies find themselves unable to get past “Hello!”