I recently saw Marc Gobe speak at GlobalShop 2008 in Chicago.  Marc is the author of Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People  and Brand Jam: Humanizing Brands Through Emotional Design. 

 

Like you, I've seen dozens of speakers, consultants and gurus speak about their brand methodology over the years.  Most are good.  A few are bad.  And even fewer are great.  I would put Marc in the great category. 

 

His approach centers on establishing the emotional profile of your brand (I like it already).  His process follows a simple "Head, Heart, and Gut" analysis that explores the emotional depth of a brand's connection to its users.  The "Head" analysis explores the logical connection a brand makes.  The "Heart" analysis explores the level of relationship a brand establishes with its users.  And the "Gut" analysis explores the extent to which desire is stimulated by the brand. 

 

Marc argues, I think correctly, that when a brand is successful connecting at all three levels, it forms a stronger bond with its users, is less sensitive to price, and ultimately, competes at a different level in the market. 

 

His most compelling example of a brand that has achieved this level is Dove.  They show tremendous courage with their "Dove Self Esteem Fund" initiative.  Take a look at the video above to see how they use emotion to establish a completely different kind of relationship with their market.