In reading Creating Customer Evangelists by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, I came across a statement with which I agreed and disagreed.

Marketers often refer to “increasing brand loyalty” as a factor in increasing sales. But does this terminology really make sense? A company and its logo are inanimate. The notion that people are loyal to brands may make some sense for consumer products that have little differentiation: think Evian versus Pellegrino. But, in general, people are loyal to people. Any business in which human beings are involved in selling or delivering a product or service has the ability to significantly influence customer experiences, thereby engendering loyalty.

YES: “…people are loyal to people.”
NO: the implication that brands and people are mutually exclusive.

This strikes at the very heart of why I started The People Brand. People are an integral element of your brand. Management, employees, customers, and the public all play a part in shaping your brand. When I say the name “Levi’s” a brand automatically comes to mind. You don’t just think about the logo or the style of clothing, you remember the people who sold those jeans to you and other people who wear them. This means that part of the Levi’s brand is out of the company’s control. They have released it to retailers and customers, but that’s a topic for another day.

I don’t think that Ben and Jackie are completely ignorant of this, I just think they may have a narrower view of branding than I do. Also, they may be oversimplifying the message in order to clearly communicate. Unfortunately, it is statements like this that have damaged branding’s brand. As companies have focused on a narrow definition of branding (logo, design, advertising), they have lost focus of the heart of their brand… the people.