Be consistent – 3 DO’s & 3 DON’T for marketers at digital age

A few days ago, I read a blog post on parenting, and the fundamental needs (and paradoxes) that children are facing.  One of them is the need for consistency.

Indeed, my 2-years old is at peak with that need. Since I have started the habit of reading bedtime stories, he is consistently (obssessively) asking for the same ‘Babar’ story. Actually, for exactly the same part of the Babar story, which is a couple of pages long. So, I have been reading him the same 2 pages almost every night for the last month.

I am not a psychologist and will not dwell over that need.  Let’s say somehow this particular story of Arthur, the cousin of Babar, needing a doctor after falling from a scaffolding is striking an internal chord, and let him fight and dominate his fear of falling (from e.g. the stairs).   The consistency of repeating that experience is boosting his sense of security and dominance of his fear.

As we grow, this need for consistency is certainly less visible, but still there. We still trend to pick up the same seat on a table, go to the same places, repeat similar behaviors.

And importantly, as a person, consistency towards others is key to build trust. What is it made of ? Not by staying in the same job or even profession, or coming across with the sames messages. For me, it’s just a few traits that create inconsistency about individuals:

• When you can’t match what people say with their behaviors.
• When you have doubts about their values.
• When you get signals they are lying or not teling the entire truth
• …(am I missing something ?)

So, for us, it’s pretty easy to be consistent: do what you say, ensure you have good values and you respect them always, tell the truth.

And for marketers ?  What’s a ‘consistent brand’ ? A  few do’s  & dont’ for marketers:

• DON’T 1: don’t rebrand a brand unless it’s life & death circumstances. Many people still go to ‘Eurodisney’ while they changed name to Disneyland Paris 15 years ago.  Our brain is wired around names & concept. Changing a fundamental name like a familiar brand name is like trying to rewire a whole house. It breaks familiar consistency around that brand. Even if a brand is damaged, time and marketing is usually enough to repair it.
• DON’T 2: don’t take consistency superficially. Many people think consistency is around strong guidelines and messaging. This is only a part of the truth. Brands live in people’s mind, through exposure but as well discussions with friends. The focus of the consistency is to understand how those exposures and conversations are consistent. And creating positive ‘social currency’ (ie propension to recommend a brand) is worth more than respecting visual guidelines. As such, alternative techniques such as Word of mouth marketing and dialogue with consumers are vital to help.
• DON’T 3:  don’t think you control it. Building on the above, consistency is not the sole proprietary of the marketing. Customer service is vital, but so are you main clients/fans, and other stakeholders in touch of your customers. This is why so many leading companies are making sure that their values and missions are fully aligned along the whole value chain. Johnson&Johnson shows its ‘credo’ about its life-saving missions on every wall of every room, and Ben&Jerry is ensuring its ‘sustainability’ focus resonates across all departments.

And of course, a few ‘Do’s:

• DO 1: make explicit what needs to be consistent vs not. This is the hard part. Think about the people analogy above – when do people look phony ?  So, those are the minimal 3 do’s and only things that really requires consistency.  Align messages and behaviors/product offering. Ensure the company carries strong, credible values. Never lie to consumers. Beyond that, the brand image is around its personality, which as well requires some consistency…But at the same time, you need to refresh and rejuvenate it, so the challenge of every marketer is to strike that balance.
• DO 2:  Think about your customers as your partners. Consistency is a matter of perception. By taking your consumers/Customers are partners, you will continuously tap into their feedback to ensure you remain as such – consistent
• DO 3: consequence of the DON’T 3 – you don’t control it but you can instigate it. Conduct a corporate review of alignment and consistency of the values across the company, and make sure that the nice words are reflected in reality. If not, chances are that the image you will reflect on the market will not be consistent.

Consistency will not increase your sales by 20%, but it will ensure lasting success. Creating a campaign and a peak in sales is not hard. Ensuring that a campaign is followed by sustainable success is hard. This is where consistency plays in. In a world of oversolicitation and increasing consumer distrust towards brand, it is more key than ever.

Let’s keep consistent.

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