Marketing is a complex art. Not only do you have to engage your target market in specific ways which will resonate strongly with them based on what you’ve gleaned from meticulous market research, you have a lot of other brands competing for their attention. In order to stand out brands find that they walk an endless tightrope. They must be eye-catching without being gaudy. They must offer everything while promising nothing.
They must be precision-targeted to a certain demographic but at the same time alienate none. They must be fun and energetic without being frivolous. It’s this last aspect of marketing and branding that we’ll look at today. Fun is an intrinsic part of branding. Look at the way in which even something as dry as a bank or a credit card is marketed today.
They are rebranded not as stuffy financial institutions but a passport to all kinds of fun and revelry. In creating marketing content that works you need to first establish a strong idea of what your brand means to you and your consumers. What does it mean? What does it represent? What does it promise to the consumer?
Fun affectations do not a fun brand make
Whatever the nature of your business and your products, whether you’re swimwear manufacturers targeting people who are just about to set off on their summer holidays or an electronics manufacturer trying to market a new vacuum cleaner, there’s a good chance that you’re grappling with how to inject a sense of fun, enjoyment and levity into your branding and your marketing.
So… How fun is your brand? Yeah, your logo has some bright, bold colors but unfortunately, that alone isn’t quite enough to make your brand fun. Fortunately, whatever your product, there are a number of ways in which you can bring a healthy sense of fun into your brand. For example…
Get social
Social media platforms are a great way for brands to engage with their customers, but they’re also a great opportunity for brands to show their friendlier and more playful side. Not only is it a great platform upon which to showcase your products, it can also give users an opportunity to peek behind the curtain.
Give your customers and prospects an opportunity to see what life is like behind the scenes of your organization. Help them to get to know the people who make your business what it is. Help them to generate a personal and emotional investment in you and you’ll look and feel much more human to them.
Show your users that you’re a great company to work for, that you treat your employees well and that there are always smiles and laughter behind the scenes as you get the job done. Show them that you are passionate about your products and that love and care does into their development. Not only will you help to create a sense of fun for your brand, but it will also be tempered with a sense of integrity that will prevent it from seeming frivolous.
Gamify where you can
Gamification is an extremely popular way in which you can build fun into your brand. Gamification refers to making your interactions with your customers feel like a game. There are a range of ways in which you can gamify your brand but at its essence is this. Know your target audience, ascertain what they want and give them the means with which to pursue it.
Ideally, this will be done by facilitating purchases. Starbucks’ reward system, for example, uses a rudimentary form of gamification. With each purchase on their app customers get a little star in an image of a cup. When the cup is filled with stars they get a free drink.
Create a mascot
A mascot is a great way to instil a sense of fun in your brand that’s been used since the dawn of advertising. They can attract attention and create positive connotations with your brand and products. Your mascot must be loveable, visually interesting and distinctive. Animals tend to make great mascots not only because many of us are predisposed to love them, but they also transcend barriers of age, gender, race and culture.
Use content marketing that simplifies the complicated
Content marketing is another great way to engage with your audience in a fun and informal way. It also offers you an opportunity to make potentially scary and serious things more fun and simple. If your content can make the complicated enjoyable and engaging as well as informative you will be able to engender a sense of trust and loyalty in your prospects.
As you can see, there are a plethora of ways in which you can make your brand and your branding more fun. How you go about it is a choice that is entirely yours!