We see it in focus groups all the time: customers want to personify companies.  They want to believe that a company is like a person, with motivations and desires (which can be positive or negative), instead of a faceless collection of employees trying not to lose their jobs!

In a great article on marketingprofs.com, Emily Eldridge makes the point that people are willing to pay more for products from companies that have humanized their brands.

“For example, Apple stores don’t have rows of cashiers. Instead, they have easily identifiable employees throughout the store with mobile cashier platforms ready to interact. They will explain the benefits of each product, help you deal with issues, and share their passion for the products.

People are attracted to Apple because of its sleek products, but sticker shock could be an issue. Cheaper, equally (or more) powerful products are on the market. Yet Apple continues to increase its market share. The reason is that Apple has used Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, and its army of highly passionate employees around the world to humanize its brand. And consumers worldwide have responded.

Another example is Zappos.com, which places on its product pages videos of a Zappos employee talking about why he or she likes that product. It’s important to note that the videos are not about the product specs. They are personal stories told by someone who genuinely likes a particular product. When Zappos launched those videos in 2009, its conversion rate reportedly increased from 6% to 30%.”

How can you humanize your brand? Consider having marketing communications come from a specific person.  Or giving your company’s communications some personality (for example, Virgin Atlantic’s “Go jet-setter, go!” or Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer).  Perhaps the best place to start the process is to figure out how your customers currently perceive the brand by hiring us to conduct some qualitative research!  Give us a call – no, wait: give me a call at (818) 752-7210.

Sources: “Why Being Human Matters in Marketing,” MarketingProfs, August 20, 2012; Bureau West research