Eye of the Beholder

It constantly amazes (yet rarely surprises) me just how many brands seem to disregard their best features. I wonder if they're ignorant or just unconcerned.

One of my favourite Indian restaurants is really tacky. Their decor is cheap. The menu and signs look amateurish. The dishes, cutlery, serving trays and everything else on the table are plain and boring. But..
The food is pretty good. The variety of dishes available is wonderful. The staff is great. The prices are very very reasonable. Service is always fast. The location is convenient.

Go to this restaurant's Web site and what does it focus on? "An elegant and sophisticated atmosphere", "a sturdy escape to a more civilized time", "a sophisticated crowd"...

Every first-timer who reads this and then walks into the restaurant will probably think they're in the wrong place.

Aside from this very basic over-promising and under-delivering, though, the deception (or perhaps "inaccuracy" is a nicer term) is completely unnecessary. The business has some great things going for it, yet these things are barely mentioned on the Web site (or in other marketing materials).

I don't think I'm a completely atypical customer.

Do they not know why people buy from them? Do they really think they're offering a "sophisticated and elegant atmosphere"?


Part of the solution seems pretty simple.

I think most organizations need to assign more value to outsiders' opinions. Brand therapists, if you will.

It doesn't do much good to ask your best friends to help you change; they like you the way you are. They might come up with some good ideas for small adjustments, or even pick some great larger goals for you to achieve, but they're unlikely to see the bigger picture of significant changes that will serve you best. And even if they can see that bigger picture, I wonder how many of them would be able to coach you toward the change in a meaningful way.
Same thing for brands. Your employees, volunteers, board of directors, partners, best customers, long-serving ad agency, and so on probably have a pile of great ideas for you. But I bet they're missing the best ones. See a therapist. Maybe they'll notice something extraordinary and can help extract it from your brand's subconscious.