Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, says “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” If that’s the case, then my dog Sadie, (the cute little 7lb. Morkie pictured above) is a most beloved brand.
Proving Bezos’ point, it’s not unusual when we walk her we will pass by people who will say “Hi Sadie!” before they even acknowledge the person on the other end of the leash. Quite often they have long forgotten our names but will remember hers. Friends and family compete for who gets to watch her when we go away. She is so beloved that she was even featured in a slide show during the eulogy of a dear family friend.
- Like any good brand, Sadie knows her target market. She’s not trying to appeal to everyone. She focuses her efforts on a specific audience… anyone with the potential to give belly rubs and slip her a treat is sure to be the object of her attention.
- She knows exactly what her target audience responds to and what she has to do to attract them. She’s discovered that they respond to sweet and cuddly but also smart, sassy, playful and demanding. People who love cuddly lap dogs or want to play fetch (obsessively, 24/7) are putty in her paws. Even a few “big dog” people we know who typically turn their noses up at a wee pup (yes, we all know a few) have found themselves smitten.
- She stands out from the crowd. People will stop whatever they’re doing to pet her and talk with us. Some have literally pulled their cars over to the side of the road to talk with us about how cute she is. Everyone asks what breed she is, or where we got her. They want one just like her.
- Her value has nothing to do with cost. If you had asked us before we met her if we would ever spend that much money on a dog, we’d have gasped! We did not buy her from a high-end breeder or pet store, but when Sadie was about 9 weeks old we found out she had a congenital heart defect. If we chose not to treat it she would likely not have survived past the age of two. The cost of the surgery on her little 3.5-pound puppy body was astronomical. While the decision wasn’t made lightly we knew we really didn’t have a choice. We were smitten. She had already won us over hook, line and sinker. Yes, we invested
The bottom line: for all the reasons listed above and many more, people are talking about Sadie when she’s not in the room. Can you say the same for your brand?
