Telling my story through brands

We all have products we love and places we like to do business. My admiration for Fluevog, for example, is well documented. But I have favourite products in just about every category. Mascara – Benefit Roller Lash. Electronics – Apple (and yes, I know it’s a cult). Skin Care – mostly Dr. Hauschka with a Caudalie Serum for good measure. Inexpensive bubbles – Le Petit Royale. House wine: Nero D’Avola 2014. Jeans: None. I’m passionate about the products I love. And very, very loyal. Of course my enthusiasm doesn’t have the same influence as Oprah’s Favorite Things, but my preferences really matter to me. They tell my story.

I just love the section in Vanity Fair called “My Favorite Things”. VF asks someone, usually a behind-the-scenes influencer, about his or her favourite products in a number of categories: sheets, shampoo, sneakers, jeans, heels, handbags, etc. You get the idea. Even though I’ve never heard of most of the people interviewed in this section I find the responses are very revealing. I feel as if I know something about the person based on their responses.

None of us is immune from telling our own story with the choices that we make with our wallets. Even people who claim to be anti-logo or anti-brand have their own uniform. I bet if I said “farmer‘s market, Birkenstock, Prius, local coffee shop, Patagonia” you could conjure up as a clear an image of someone just as easily as if I had said “Canada Goose, Hunter, LuluLemon, David’s Tea, Coach, Tiffany.”

It starts young. My daughter, who recently turned 12, has a very carefully curated image that’s completely tied to brands. Today she’s “Starbucks, Apple, Uggs, Ivivva, Nike, UnderArmor, Roots, Bath & Body Works.” I look at her friends and they all wear the uniform, with a little variance for individual style and personal preference.

I’m not saying this is a good thing (or a bad thing) I'm simply reporting the reality of life in the 21st Century. These companies have invested years in developing identities that are instantly understood by the public in general and provide emotional connections for their core customers. Critically, these companies know and understand their core customers.

The brands we choose say something about how we want to be seen by others and how we relate to the world around us. Often we are communicating our aspirations through our choices. Or maybe, like my daughter, we are trying to fit in. Others still use their brand choices to estabish their difference. Recently, I heard about a woman who won $1 million playing “Chase the Ace“ in Nova Scotia. According to the report, she continued to shop at Walmart. In an interview she said it was because she didn’t want the money to change her. She was invested in her self-identify as someone who is value-conscious and down-to-earth and Walmart supported that understanding of herself.

I bought a car recently. More correctly, I leased a car. The process of choosing which vehicle to commit to for a period of 45-48 months nearly caused an existential crisis. I’m not kidding. On the surface buying a car is about working out how to get around. But we all know it is much more complicated than that. The car you choose says something about who you are and how you see yourself in the world.

My needs were defined by a number of considerations:

• Will it fit in my difficult driveway (pictured below)? Does it have a back-up camera and is it available in a hatchback?

• Is there an all-wheel-drive option for Canadian winters?

• Is it environmentally friendly?

• Is it technologically savvy; intelligently designed; well manufactured?

• Is it safe and reliable?

• Can I please have heated seats?

Honestly, just about every car manufacturer has a model that meets most of my criteria. My short list was the VW Tiguan, the Buick Encore and the Mercedes-Benz B250. Honesty I could have made a case to buy any one of those cars. They were all close to the same price. All had an AWD option and all came with options that I wanted.

How to choose is an issue of deciding with which brand I wanted to align myself and understanding which points of difference between the available options mattered the most to me.

​I ended up leasing a Mercedes B250-4matic. How did I decide? Since I was leasing the residual value was a consideration and the B250 had the highest residual value. (Many people drive Mercedes for 400,000 km, some even 800,000 km!)

Other driving factors included:

• It is a hatchback car, not an SUV;

• Annual insurance premiums were $300 less than the other models I was considering;

• The technology is second-to-none, including many safety features; and

• It was the most environmentally-friendly option among my short listed choices by a lot. The B250 (even at the bottom end of the Mercedes Benz offering) turns itself off while idling (i.e. the car is in drive but the brake is on) and then turns itself back on immediately when you hit the gas. No wonder almost all the taxi cabs you see in Germany are made by Mercedes. Interestingly, the salesman pitched this feature as having value because it is green, not to because the driver will save money on gas. It is a subtle but important difference in how the brand thinks about environmental stewardship.

I know what you’re thinking…. And because I think everyone is thinking what I imagine you’re thinking, I have been explaining myself for the last two weeks. ”I chose this car because it’s safe.” “I chose this car because it is fuel efficient.” “I chose this car because it fits in my driveway.” “This car does not cost what you think: it’s a B-class!”…. All of which are true.

But you are right. I chose this car, in part, because it is a Mercedes. And I want Mercedes to be a feature of my own identity, even though it makes me uncomfortable to admit it. Classic. Reliable. Responsible. Tech Savvy. Smart. Discerning. Not the cheapest, but not extravagant. Mercedes-Benz has developed a brand rooted in luxury but that is not its defining feature. There are lots of luxury cars on the market, and much more expensive ones to boot, but none would speak for me in the way my new M-B B250 4Matic does.

We have to be honest about who we are….

#Branding