What is a hero brand?

Part 1 of our "Hero Branding" series.

Reflective of our own desires and beliefs, the hero is a symbol for hope.  Inescapable from popular culture, the hero story is a concept to which we strongly gravitate.  The hero brand is the perfect vehicle for businesses to build a following.

A brand is a projected image of an individual or a group of individuals through their communication. Brands are all around us, part and parcel of our daily lives.  The most important question for businesses is why do some brands resonate in people’s hearts and minds, while others do not?

Let us propose this scenario.  Imagine you could consolidate and fuse your brand with your own beliefs and aspirations; in effect establish an identity which has a purpose embodying everything you do.  Go one step further and imagine that people start to identify with your purpose.  They see in your identity a desirable set of values and an appealing attitude that is consistent with their own outlook on life.  You are now on the way to securing a hero brand.

The hero brand is unique in that it makes a deep emotional connection with its audience; a bond which is so powerful that its very nature is embedded in the subconscious of its audience.  Naturally, a hero brand’s story always has a hero - represented by an individual (ie Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Anita Roddick) and/or an ideology which is infused in the organisation as a whole (ie Google, Harley Davidson.)  When this story resonates with those who hear it, brand loyalty isn’t far away.

Businesses that embody the hero brand and effectively communicate their story succeed.  You can start replacing the words “clients”, “customers” and “employees” with “believers.”