Does Your Brand Pass The Virgin Test?
How many times have you written something and never posted it? ….Well, I‘ve done that a lot.
And with Virgin’s recent stint in the news these past few days, it reminded me of something I wrote 10 years ago and never posted.
I had to do some digging to find it, but when I found it & reread it, it seems just as relevant today as the day I wrote it - so here goes- Think of it as a blast from the past but the underlying message still holds true today…..
There’s a short quiz at the end of it for you too - let me know how you scored in the comments below!
DOES YOUR BRAND PASS THE VIRGIN TEST?
Okay, admit it….I got you with ‘virgin’, right?
Were you wondering whether or not your brand has had sex?
Well, you don’t need me to help you figure that out. You’ll know when your brand has “done it.” It’ll come to you and tell you.
So now you’re thinking, where is she going with this virgin business?
We’ll get to that. But first…
Let’s strip down your brand and look at it – naked.
Here are its parts:
1. Design (the visuals)
2. Product Development (the actual thing you’re selling)
3. Branding (the whole message you put out to your customers)
To form a cohesive brand -- one that makes people say, “Hey, I love that company” – all three parts, and their subparts, need to fit together, and be part of the same picture.
Think of your brand as a jigsaw puzzle.
(What? I thought we were talking about virgins! What do jigsaw puzzles have to do with virgins? I know, I’m mixing metaphors. They have nothing to do with each other, except that maybe jigsaw puzzles are what virgins do on a Saturday night. But bear with me.)
You may have noticed the puzzle motif on my website. That’s because I believe that every successful brand has all its pieces in place, and they all fit together to form a complete picture.
Let’s say you’re home on a rainy day, killing time with a puzzle of Mickey Mouse. You’ve got it almost all put together, but there are still a few chunks missing around the eyes and his bowtie.
Missing chunks = ick.
If you don’t put in those pieces, you’ve got a Mickey with holes in his face and neck. Even if you’ve got just one tiny piece missing, Mickey’s still got a hole. Everyone can see it. Poor Mickey.
Now say a few pieces from another puzzle – one of the Eiffel Tower – have gotten mixed into the Mickey box. You try and jam them in, and they just about fit. Now the holes are filled, but you’ve got steel girders and someone’s beret in the middle of Mickey’s face. Nobody wants to see Mickey that way.
Every teeny detail matters.
So you see, every little detail of your brand – from the design to the messaging, to the overall experience - - needs to be a deliberate piece of the Big Picture. There are no throwaways. No “nobody will notice” pieces. If your brand is all about sumptuous, decadent luxury, but you plop your product into a supermarket plastic bag, you’re screwing up part of the picture.
When you have a complete picture, the Whole Mickey, you’ve got a brand that speaks to your customer in an emotionally compelling way that instills value, trust, and loyalty.
So here’s a brand that’s a shining example of what I’m talking about.
All their pieces connect and paint a perfect picture. They’ve got the Full Mickey.
DRUMROLL…..
Virgin America!
(Yes! That’s the “Virgin” in “Virgin Test.”)
They’re “cool and fun.” That’s their brand, from head to toe, nose to tail, beginning to end. Top to bottom. You get it.
Virgin’s Full Mickey
Have you ever flown Virgin? If you have, you know that from the moment you board the plane, you feel like you’re in for a good time, in a hip place.
As you roll your carry-on down the aisle, you don’t see the usual ugly, cheap-motel upholstery – the kind that says, “Get your head lice here!” No. You see sleek leather seats set in a sea of white glossy seatbacks, in the glow of cool, futuristic, purple & pink mood lighting.
And instead of the usual sad fabric curtains separating first class from coach, you see slick, glossy transparent dividers. Sad curtains would never fit in with those stylish seats, would they?
Before takeoff, it’s time for the safety demonstration. You know the drill: flight attendant stands in the aisle, showing you how to buckle your seatbelt (duh) and pull the oxygen mask over your face.
Except not on Virgin! In place of the usual snoozefest, they’ve got an animated video that plays on your personal seatback screen. It’s funny, entertaining, and irreverent: it makes fun of the fact that they have to show us how to buckle a seatbelt. An animated Richard Branson even makes a cameo.
The messages here:
We don’t take ourselves too seriously. And Richard Branson isn’t just the CEO, he’s part of the brand. Being on board is like hanging out with him.
See what I mean by nothing is a throwaway? Here’s where Virgin could have said, “Eh, just do the ordinary, boring safety demo in the aisle. No one expects anything more, and no one pays attention to it anyway.”
But Virgin doesn’t “do” ordinary and boring.
So instead, they went the extra mile and gave the safety demonstration the Virgin treatment. They made it something people do pay attention to. How cool is that?
They made it matter, because everything matters.
The packaging matters. The signage matters. The copy matters. The colors matter. No detail is overlooked. Their message of ‘Spirited Fun’ shines through in every itty bitty part of your Virgin experience.
You can do the same thing with your brand.
I’m not saying to make your brand the same as Virgin’s. Maybe “cheeky cool” isn’t what you’re about.
Maybe your customer is the type who loves tattoos and rocks out to heavy metal. Or who wears holiday sweaters, decorates her work cubicle with inspirational sayings, and collects gnome figurines.
Whoever it is, you want your brand to fit that person – in every little detail of your visual design, actual product, and brand message.
Do you pass the Virgin Test?
In case you jumped right to this part (shame on you!) I’ll repeat: we’re not testing your brand to make sure it’s never “gone all the way.” In fact, it’s the opposite -- we’re testing to see if it does go all the way, the way Virgin America does. Or, if it strikes out.
To be effective and bring in the big bucks, to fly the Richard Branson way, your brand should:
Form a complete picture (the “Whole Mickey” we talked about).
Know whom it’s speaking to.
Use a voice that grabs that person, by speaking to their tastes and desires.
Have a distinct personality and point of view.
Express that personality and point of view in every detail, big and small.
DOES IT?
Take this quiz and find out!
For each category, circle a number to rate your brand on a scale of 0-3:
0 if you’re doing a lame-o job at it and 3 if you’re doing a Richard Branson job at it.
1. Identifying your customer. 0 1 2 3
Do you know who’s going to buy your service or product? Don’t say “everyone.” Is your customer thrifty? Extravagant? Young? Old? A hipster? A suburban mom? Someone who wants to lose weight? Someone who doesn’t give a #$*@ about weight and just wants a *!@#$-ing dessert? How well do you know this person and what he/she wants?
2. Pinpointing your brand’s style and point of view. 0 1 2 3
What does your product/ service and everything about your brand say? Is the attitude… Luxurious, high-end and indulgent? (Think Godiva Chocolate) Stylish and forward-thinking, but human and easygoing? (Think Apple) Dependable and reassuring? (Think State Farm Insurance) Socially responsible and earnest? (Think Wholefoods) Do you know how to describe your brand? You should.
3. Matching your brand with your customer. 0 1 2 3
So does the attitude of your brand speak to your target market? If your brand’s attitude is “live large, and live for today” but your customer is a tree-hugging eco-warrior, then…we’ve got a problem. If your brand is outrageous, hip, and irreverent, but your customer is a conservative, suburban mom? Problem.
4. Product design.
a. Style. 0 1 2 3
Think about the look and feel. The styling. How well does it match your brand? Think about Virgin: what if the seats were covered in calico and the flight attendants were dressed as characters from Little House on the Prairie? That wouldn’t go too well with their “hip, cool” message, now would it?
b. Design & Merchandising. 0 1 2 3
Think about every detail, every aspect in the design of your product; the materials used, the styles, the colors, the product selection, style assortments, functionality… Are there too many styles/items, or not enough? What's the point of difference from your competitors? Is your product line the best it can be design-wise, or stuck in a "same old, same old" cul-de-sac?
c. Overall Quality. 0 1 2 3
Is the quality right? Is there a sourcing issue? Do your price-points reflect your market?
d. Visual Branding. 0 1 2 3
How is your brand identified on the product? How about the logo & any signature accoutrements? Think about any embroideries, hardware, emblems, printed elements; anything that visually identifies your brand on the product. Are these design elements totally current, or a little dated? Are they the right taste-level for your customer? How is the product packaged & presented to the customer?
5. Packaging. 0 1 2 3
This matters! Think about the box, the bag, the wrapping. Will it be thrown away or should it be a keep-sake? Should it be sustainable? Should it be luxurious? Spare? If you ship your product, does it come wrapped in gold tissue? In cashmere? In recycled newspaper? A Rolex doesn’t come in a brown cardboard box. All this stuff matters.
6. Graphics & Visual Identity. 0 1 2 3
Think about your logo design. The colors, font, and layout on your site. Your signage, your packaging, even your business cards…. anything visual that has to do with your brand being seen. Any graphics used in your product’s designs? Do all these visuals speak in a consistent voice? If your brand is youthful and urban, your logo shouldn’t be ornate and Victorian. If you’re futuristic, you shouldn’t have a wood-grain background on your website. If you’re all about luxury and sophistication, I hope you’re not using a cheesy “handwriting” font. Your graphics should match your brand.
7. Marketing Materials. 0 1 2 3
Think about product hang tags, brochures, and point-of-sale take-aways, anything the customer leaves with that keeps you at top of mind. Take-aways that reinforce & validate their purchase long after they’ve left the store, that instill value and trust. Even if you don’t have much to spend, there are ways to create perfectly branded “extras.”
8. Messaging. 0 1 2 3
Think about your tagline. The copy on your website. Your emails. The copy used in your marketing materials & hangtags. Your signage. Even the 404 message (“page not found”) is a branding opportunity. Does every bit of your wording express your brand? Is it in a voice that grabs your customers and gives them a reason to be a fan? Think about your product/brand’s overall message… Is it consistent throughout?
9. Website. 0 1 2 3
We’ve touched on this above (see Messaging, Graphics). But take a look at your site as a whole. What’s the first impression someone gets when it loads? What’s the experience as they browse through it?
10. Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. 0 1 2 3
Do they speak to your customer in a true voice? If your brand were a person, is that how the person would talk (or tweet)?
So, how’d ya do?
Wherever you circled 0’s, 1’s & 2’s, your brand is no Virgin. (Cue sad trombone sound: waaa…waaaaaa.) The pieces aren’t in place, and there’s no Big Picture. Add up your scores, and see how you did overall:
0-9: Here’s how “un-Virgin” you are: Richard Branson has put you on the “no-fly” list. You’ve been stopped at security, locked in a concrete room, and strip-searched – and not in a fun way.
10-19: Flight canceled. Consider yourself stuck at the gate – permanently.
20-36: You’re taxiing down the runway. Tray tables are in the locked and upright position. But – uh oh – here come the mechanics. Something’s wrong in the fuselage. All it takes is one loose bolt!
37-39: You’re a regular Richard Branson. Your brand is in the Mile High Club. And, if you scored yourself accurately, you’ve got the cult-like customer following to prove it. Congrats!
I hope this exercise has given you something to think about in pinpointing some of your trouble spots.
Even if you scored a big fat goose egg, and your brand is as un-Virgin as they come, there’s hope – because you can fix it.
You just need a little help.
That’s what RSD is here for: to help you Virgin-ize that sucker.
Product design; Branding; Merchandising; Marketing: Whether your brand needs a major makeover, some updating, or just some subtle tweaking,
RSD handles the whole enchilada.
Not everyone can do that. But thanks to years of experience in these separate facets of the biz, we have an uncommon ability to create it and put it all together. We make sure you have all the right pieces to fit together into one fantastic Big Picture.
That’s what makes your brand stand out and kick ass.
It’s what makes people love you and open their wallets for you, again and again, and again.
Well? Let’s get crackin’!
Contact me at randi@randiseiffdesign.com.
We’ll help you figure out your Big Picture. And then, in the most innovative, original way, we’ll bring your brand’s personality to life, creating the right pieces and putting all the pieces together.
Want to know more about what we do?
Click around the site. Or just get in touch right now so we can start taking action.
Can’t wait to hear from you!