The Scott Sternberg guide to building emotional brands

“The most important thing to do when you’re launching a brand,” Sternberg says, “is to explain to people why the f— they should care. Why do you exist? And why are you different?”

I often think and write about the importance of “world building” in today’s mixed-media reality: Brands have more control than ever over where and how consumers experience their point of view, from digital feeds and properties to packaging design and retail merchandising. And with that comes many new opportunities to build emotional texture.

Someone needs to have the point of view and the audacity to communicate it, over and over, for a long time. That’s what other people will be attracted to. The magic is you.

“Ultimately, a great cult brand — your customers are your fans,” Sternberg says. “The reason they’re your fans, whether they can articulate this or not, is that they see themselves in you and your brand. The brand is a reflection of the best of them — of values that they think they hold, or they do hold, or want to hold, or aspire to hold.”

And anyway, forming an emotional bond with even a large number of consumers doesn’t mean a business will thrive. Both of Sternberg’s fashion lines folded, and beloved brands like Virgin America — Richard Branson’s customer-centric take on a better airline — have disappeared, not because people didn’t love them, but because that just wasn’t enough.

That is: A person — often a founder, or someone similarly empowered — needs to have compelling ideas, establish a voice and perspective, and use it. Tools like brand books and style guides are important so agencies and partners know how to speak the same language. But the actual opinions and values can’t be algorithmically generated or offloaded to... See more