eBRANDCAST Neil Verma

One of the most powerful ways to increase your business's credibility is by securing a celebrity endorsement. Like is or not, humans are social creatures, and that means we’re easily influenced by the opinions of aspirational figures.

But are these kinds of endorsements really relevant to eCommerce? Compared to influencer marketing, celebrity endorsements feel traditional and outdated. And are they even different strategies?

There’s no question that influencer marketing is an evolutionary step in borrowing celebrity for advertising, and they do overlap. But celebrity endorsement is a fundamentally different brand tactic and still offers profound potential business benefits.

So tune in to learn more, including how to choose the right celebrity for your brand, and how to get started creating your strategy…

You may not know that back in the 2000’s, Apple and Facebook a good, mutually beneficial relationship. But since Tim Cook took over for Steve Jobs in 2011, a cold war between the brands broke out.

With the launch of the iOS 14.5 update, however, Apple is taking direct aim at Facebook, and the war has turned hot.

But this is more than two brands competing with each other: Apple and Facebook aren’t even direct competitors. Rather, the conflict between Apple and Facebook is clash of identities. It’s a brand war in the purest sense.

What can you learn from this clash of titans? Tune in to find out.

One reason branding is misunderstood by entrepreneurs is that many of its important elements and concepts sound too vague to be practical. “Brand personality” is a perfect example. It’s a term you’ve probably heard many times, but have no idea what it really is, or means. Personality in people is the fusion of their style of expression, the impression they leave on others, and their identity. In brands, when it’s done right, it’s how your brand, look, sounds, and behaves. And it’s the sum total of these elements that creates the emotional association your brand leaves on consumers.

When it’s done well, a brand personality conjures an image of your target customer, and naturally attracts a loyal following. And whether you’re actively shaping this personality, customers will give you one, and it’s probably not something you want to leave to chance. So in this episode, we break down what a brand personality is, why it’s important, and the concrete ways you can put it in action.

Branding is a process, not a destination. For the master branders of the world, it’s a job that never ends. And naturally, the question of a major rebrand is an inevitable inflection point for businesses. However, most of us think of rebranding as either a shiny new logo or a Hail Mary after a reputation crisis. You don’t need to wait until the roof caves in to consider a rebrand, because just like branding itself, rebranding is all about maintaining and nurturing better relationships with your customers.

In today’s episode, we clear up some of these myths and stigmas about rebranding. We’ll dive into when you should consider it, and what it actually entails. Not to say there aren’t inherent dangers of rebranding, especially if your business is already healthy and thriving. It can be a delicate balancing act to renew your connection with customers, without sacrificing what people love about your brand.

eCommerce is driven by metrics, data, and analytics, which can often make it easy to forget what really drives your brands growth: people. How we shop may have changed, but why we buy hasn’t. Fundamentally, people are just looking to meet their needs and improve their lives. Branding is the art of communicating to consumers that they’re capable of fulfilling those needs. For decades, the marketing world did this by weaponizing insecurities.

Recently, alongside a shift in psychology, a world marketing has always mirrored, this tone has changed. Today, applying positive psychology is one of the best ways create stronger bonds with your audience and increase loyalty. However, there’s danger in going all-in on a sunny disposition, which needs to be carefully balanced by creating a more human brand. In this episode, Neil shows you how.

One of the very first steps in the branding process is to clearly define your brand’s values. At eBB, brand values are an integral part of your brand’s core for a reason: because they help you connect emotionally with your target customers. They also give your brand’s identity clarity and meaning, and provide standards by which consumers can hold the brand accountable for its decisions. But the greater transparency brought on by eCommerce and social media, means that brands are now being held accountable in real-time.

Of course, this is exactly why we advise brands build from the inside-out, founding themselves in a greater purpose. But even with strong core values, leading with your core in marketing efforts is guaranteed to rub some consumers the wrong way. But what happens when your marketing actually violates your stated values? And how do you make sure your messaging accurately reflects your intentions?