Why telling people your crap could benefit your brand

Why telling people your crap could benefit your brand

Why admitting your crap can be a good thing for your brand... , 'Confidence', a word 9 out of 10 branding agencies will tell you that you need to be or exert to become a successful brand. The idea is that people trust others who look like they know where they're going, and to a certain extent that's true. Conversely, insecurity, an attribute that stand on quite the opposite end of the value continuum and most branding agency will tell you ou shouldn't be, could potentially as attractive to people as confidence. I'd go even further so as to say that maybe, in a day and age where the oversupply of brands have become quite homogenous in their behavior, and customer experience have become central to success, insecurity ensures a brands stand out, make a brand  more relatable and more importantly align customer expectations, better than exuding confidence would.   Looking at the superhero genre, it's no question that people fell in love with the supermans, batmans and spidermans  because of their awesome strength confidence and power. However, what is oftenoverlooked is the role Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker play in propagating their appeal. For the very same reason that Hercules, half man, was the most loved of all Greek gods, these often geeky and un-special alter egos do something very important, they make the characters relatable, more so ,mortal. It is these insecure alter egos that give these heroes the appeal they have, because this insecurity, makes them not unlike you and me,  ordinary.  Humans rally behind insecurity because it makes for a great story. From Fairytales like Cinderella and snow-white, to overnight youtube sensations like Paul Potts and that other old lady, right across sport victories by teams like Greece at the euro 2004, we love to see that look of astonishment across the underdogs face when they're victorious. Our love for the insecure underdog  is why actors like Hugh grant and Nicolas still have jobs. Why do we get so revved up when a bloodied up rocky yells 'adrian'?it's because through the story, much of what makes up rocky is his insecurity, the fear he often admits to scene after scene. On the flip side of things, most of the Goliath's that we love to see get beaten to hell, all have one thing in common, they all exude confidence, also similarly to most brands. Insecurity could mean better customer satisfaction. Okay I know that sounds crazy, but here me out. Confidence inflates expectation , which is why we often get annoyed and frustrated with telcos, airlines and banks. Think about the expectations you have when you step on the self proclaimed 'worlds 5 star airline' Qatar airways, if there's so much as a handkerchief out of place You'd be merciless in your evaluation of them. Now let's say a low cost airline whose purpose was 'to get you there real cheap", Exposes you to work like "it's because our food is average,  entertainment non existent and seats tight, that we get to fly you to Athens for 350dhs'. You'd get on that flight expecting hell, get purgatory and assume it's heaven. Your expectations have been set so low, that your actually more than satisfied. Confidence  inflates expectations, where as telling me that you'll  'try harder' aligns my expectations and maybe even might generate some sympathy. So to end, I need to draw a clear line between insecurity and incompetence, In no shape or form are they interchangeable, incompetence can very well exist with the most confident of brands and insecurity with the most competent. As an industry obsessed with what makes people tick and and establishing all types of bonds between people and our brands, we are often quite clumsy in forgetting two things: firstly, insecurity  makes up a considerable part of our DNA and secondly, without Clark Kent, to men Superman's just some super stud you have nightmares about your girlfriend sleeping with.