Great Brands Think Alike

Google. Wal-Mart. Starbucks. Pushpa Fashions. Pushpa Fashions?

Let's begin with the obvious. One of these isn't a global powerhouse brand but every one of the companies listed does connect with their customer on a visceral, emotional level. Pushpa Fashions, contrary to initial belief, is right at home on the list.

What Is Pushpa?

If you were, like, anybody that, like, mattered during the early 90s in Charlotte, NC you shopped at Pushpa. Part fashion house and part social outlet, Pushpa developed a brand voice that connected with the most notorious of fickle tastemakers - teenagers. Think the Peach Pit from Beverly Hills 90210 minus the drama. With only two locations a zip code apart, Pushpa was no conglomerate but this isn't a story about size. In fact, Pushpa proved that great branding knows no size. The mom-and-pop operation discovered early on one of the greatest rules of marketing: pay attention to your customer.

What was intended to be a stalwart of classic American fashion for bankers began attracting hordes of teenagers on the weekends with expendable cash but a very different style aesthetic. The owners could have made the mistake of clinging to their carefully produced business plan at the expense of actually fulfilling it. Instead they listened to their customers and embraced their beliefs.

A local brand was born.

Not much has changed since Pushpa switched their store monitors from the business news to MTV. Companies that succeed embrace the trends, the voice, and the identity of their customers. They adapt while remaining true to their initial vision. Pushpa always intended to sell clothing in the city's urban district to discriminating clientele and that's what they did...though not exactly the way they pictured.

Building a brand isn't magic. It is, however, a test of a company's endurance and responsiveness. Great brands have a lot in common.

In the following case studies we'll examine two of the most important traits and what they mean to businesses of all sizes looking to pack an emotional wallop:

Speaking your customer's language, and