Brand Lust

I had a discussion with my colleagues yesterday about this topic and we had fun. I simply asked them a question that gingered the discussion. My question was; “if you were a manufacturer of a specific product, would you rather prefer your customers to lust after your product or love it?” You can guess what their answer was. Love it! Is that what is obtainable in today’s business world, I asked again? They all said, no. The ideal thing is for your customers to fall in love with your product. You want customer loyalty, but in reality most producers make their products so seductive for their customers to lust after. The reason is that, products that generate lustful attraction are more expensive and more profitable in the short run. For example, fashionable clothes; designers, gold, sleek cars etc. are very expensive. Lustful brands in my opinion are for niche markets.

Lust is not the opposite of love but it’s an imitation of love. Lust enslaves but love liberates. What is the foundation of your brand, Lust or love? Both have the same parameters but the only difference is in the approach.  Love operates from the inside to the outside but lust manifest on the outside but shallow on the inside. What are the parameters? They are attitude; character and gifts. By definition, character in this sense refers to the packaging of the product; Attitude refers to the content, the style or flair of the brand while the gift(s) is the endowment.  A product is the reflections of the producer. Who you are will eventually manifest in your product or service. In other words, your character, attitudes and natural endowment as a producer must reflect in your product or service.

 A brand that is built on lust by default, concentrates more on gift (the form, shape, the sound, the feel or the looks to the naked eyes). They are subject to the dictate of trends. That’s why we keep having new models of the same product. They are more expensive to maintain. But the brand that is built on love, start with the character of the brand, the attitude before the gift. By gift or natural endowment a brand is built, by attitude, it is established and by character all its inner chambers are filled with profits. There is consistency and maintenance culture in love brands. A brand that is built on love is patient. It endures all things. It may make losses on the short run but in the long, it’s more profitable. Love brands are functional while lust brands are more of aesthetics.