Are super brands like religions or are religions actually super brands?

I’ve always agreed that in order for products, or indeed services to establish super brand status they must establish the same ideology as those wishing to maintain or increase the number of religious followers. After all, it is the strong belief in something that ensures a followers (consumer) complete loyalty.

The three principles of religious ideology are identified as ABC, Assure, Believe and Convert. The same is true when wishing to create a brand’s identity, maintain a brand’s perception and grow a brand’s awareness and understanding amongst its target audience.

One super brand ideally placed to compare to that of religion would be the super brand created by a dyslexic farm boy called Ingvar Kampard back in 1930s, we know it as IKEA. What started off as regional belief by Swedish consumers, who would spend a day travelling to their nearest store, has now become an international icon – a ritual if you will, where millions of people spend their weekend travelling to their nearest store buying what the store is selling! Kampard even produced a furniture dealer’s testament, which at the heart lay a reiteration of the IKEA spirit. (Acknowledgement: Matt Haig, Brand Royalty)

I’m not claiming that people will kill others for their belief in the IKEA Spirit, but the belief and continued faith of consumers (followers) has to be strong to maintain their trust in a product, service – or even a name!

So it begs the question, are marketers and communication practitioners brand guardians or actually spiritual communicators? Or am I just over egging the whole process for word count reasons…you decide.

[Via http://talktojason.wordpress.com]