Using your image to support your business can be more powerful than any form of traditional advertising.
Some of the oldest and most iconic brands have survived several decades-even centuries-working as faceless brands. They’ve always been a name and a logo, and while that continues to work for them, that doesn’t mean you should take the same approach when it comes to your business.
Do you know who founded McDonalds? Nike? And Chevrolet? While some may know the name, they won’t be able to match a face to that name. Today, many of the world’s biggest brands can be matched with a face.
Elon Musk is synonymous with Tesla. It is becoming increasingly popular for big brands to have a face associated with them, whether it is a high-ranking senior executive or the founder of a company. There are several reasons why this is beneficial, and you should think about it.
Consumers connect more strongly with a persona than with a faceless brand
A lot has changed over the years, especially the way brands interact with consumers. Thirty years ago, there were very limited ways to advertise – television, radio and print were the primary means of delivering advertising.
The messages were very direct. “This is our product, and this is what it does.” Brands had to be consistent in their messaging, ensuring brand recognition with a logo and slogan, hoping it would lead to sales the next time a consumer shopped at a retailer.
Today, the logo is no longer an afterthought. Many successful brands use a simple text logo with nothing more than a font that matches their vibe. Branding and advertising can be very direct and aimed at conversion immediately through online purchases.
In order to make a quick connection, many brands have started using familiar faces to establish a strong brand-consumer relationship. Consumers connect with a brand with a face and trust it more than a faceless brand. And when that face has a distinctive and memorable personality, the results can be enhanced tenfold.
You can tell your story better than anyone else
Would Tesla have had the same success story if it had used a random celebrity as its spokesperson rather than Elon Musk? No, because no one can tell the brand story better than Elon. Although he wasn’t the one who originally founded the company, he invested money, took control and quickly made the company’s brand his image and likeness.
He eats, breathes and sleeps Tesla. He is the leading authority on all things Tesla because he works for the company every day. Who else can convey breaking news, interesting events and explain the direction of the company in the same way? No one, and the same applies to you and your business.
Every business has a story, and brands that understand how to tell it authentically benefit greatly. Consumers love to hear the “why” behind brands. There are so many companies with amazing stories that never become known because they are never told.
Get your story out there and be the mechanism by which your story can be shared. It’s much more effective when you tell it.
Believing in your own product or service is the strongest statement you can make
Become a modern entrepreneur, an influential entrepreneur. It’s the strongest statement an entrepreneur can make – being the face of the business you founded means putting yourself out there, not just sitting behind a desk. It means fully supporting your brand and going through both ups and downs in an effort to bring the best product or service to market. No amount of fancy advertising or paid celebrity endorsements compares to that level of trust and commitment.
It’s easy to hide behind a name and a company, or even employees and executives, but those who step forward ready to face the music are making a bold statement. Consumers know that brands will face challenges and not everything will go smoothly, which is another reason they respect the move and will patronize brands with a face rather than those without a personal connection.
