The Soft Side Of The Brand

I borrow the idea of the ‘soft side’ of the brand from one of my favourite writers, Jonathan Raban. In his book ‘Soft City’, he distinguishes the hard city (the streets and the buildings) and the soft (the things that take place there).

By extension, the hard side of the brand is that which can be measured – accessed by qual and quant, mostly. I also include in the hard side the emotional role of the brand – gives you confidence, helps you get on with your life etc. Most large organisations are already good at accessing and articulating this kind of insight, and I don’t see any point in replicating it.

By contrast, the soft side can be thought of as all the connections a brand has ever made with its consumers. In so doing, it takes its place within, and resonates against, a culture or cultures. These connections are deeper, and consumers generally can’t articulate them.

An exploration of the soft side can yield insights which are complementary (but no less real), which can in turn inject new energy into a brand.

Real Knowledge

Semiotics can be used as a stand-alone form of enquiry. But it can also be used to inflect and enrich ‘traditional’ planning.

Understanding
Semiotics can help you dig into the underlying meanings in communication, for example helping to explain why an ad or a piece of design is or isn’t working.

Renovation
Over time people come and go, styles come and go, and without constant care brands fall apart, just like houses. And just like houses, you can’t just keep making small repairs, eventually you have to strip right back to bare bones and rebuild completely. Semiotics can be used to deconstruct brands and categories, exposing truths that can be used to reconstruct them, and make them stronger and more relevant.

Innovation
A lot of innovation work is lazy: it tries to create new hybrids out of things that already exist in other categories, rather than creating true innovation that issues forth from the heart of the brand. Semiotics can set up conceptual frameworks that enable you to think your way into spaces that don’t exist yet.

Articulation
Semiotics can help you to articulate all those intuitions you always had about your brand. It can help articulate the problem you actually have, as opposed to the symptom you are trying to address. There is a natural fit between this kind of articulation work and copywriting / journalism, whether back-of-pack or press releases.

Research
Semiotics can help you get the most out of your qual, by helping you develop your line of questioning, or listening for different things.

There is a strong fit between semiotics and ethnographic research, in that they are both observational and interpretive. Ethnographic research aims to understand what consumers do, rather than what they say they do in a qual group. It tends to take place on a more one-to-one basis, in the home or out and about in real-life situations.

Briefing
Semiotics can create richer, deeper briefs and platforms that creatives can actually work from. It can provide platforms from which to strengthen your communication, be that advertising or design. This can be helpful to creative agencies and clients alike.