#BrandTori4Town: 70+ years for any brand, is a major feat.
I really enjoyed writing last week’s #BrandTori4Town and loved the burst of energy that came with it as I thought about what I would be talking about this week. As early as Wednesday, I had already penned down the brands that fit the bill. But there is a surprise entry, so today, instead of 3, take 4.
70+ years of the RCCG is a massive one.
Last week I took a drive to the new 3km by 3km auditorium at Shimawa, and I cannot explain how I felt about such a level of thinking. The first time I visited the redemption camp, one of the first questions that came to mind was, “what kind of thinking/hearth birthed this level of infrastructural development for the leadership of a church?”
And yeah, it still rings. I woke up to birds chirping and quickly navigated my way through the well-tarred road, out of my hotel room to the early morning sun overlooking my prayer walk. I am still trying to unlock the radical and brand-thinking behind the supernatural marvel called the RCCG.
If it is by number and structure, they can arguably be called a Nation with the level of infrastructure that we can describe as subnational and international embassies across many countries worldwide. This week is a celebration of 70+ years of influence, and you cannot but miss how much they have grown and how they take another turn when it looks like they are slowing down.
You almost precisely know where you will find a Redeem church; their signposts are consistent across the board, the dressing is similar with a few adjustments here and there as you move between cultures, and yeah, you can guess the songs. Moreso, you know the programs (they are fixed timelines), you know the leader who is very charismatic, you can see the systematic effort to ensure consistency but also not miss the nimbleness to adjust to international cultures without losing connection to the Nigerian church.
These elements are trademarks of some of the biggest brands in the world. There is even a subtle cascading of structures to cater to the different demographics, albeit not instructed, but parishes have more money than some parishes and hence, attract different types of people per time, affecting how they operate without losing the core. I know some names have come to your mind already.
There are some branding lessons here, but I’m not sure I can unpack them today.
FluidCoins continued to do great work until things flipped; now more people are getting to know more about what Lanre has been up to.
I am not the typical crypto target customer.
I know enough to close a sale on branding projects, but you see, converting me to a user has not been an easy race for me. Do you know the craziest part? I can convince people to use and may have even helped in onboarding people over the last few months with how well I can communicate some of the use cases.
However, when I saw FluidCoins, I was excited about what they were building. I loved the comms, especially the visuals and the flow of the images on their Instagram. If any brand could have done anything to convince me, it would have been them. However, I fell for the brand since I haven’t fallen for the product yet.
I actually really love them, and when in Binjo’s book, he asked for three of my top brands, FluidCoins made it into the list. Effortlessly.
I always say, “Time and chance happen to us all, but consistency increases your chances of it happening to you over time”. When Luck/Grace/Favour (pick your own here abeg) strikes, where will it meet you?
Virtual cards became an issue, and a product that has been in the works, Flip, to provide users with simple access to everyday use cases for cryptocurrencies, quickly morphed into an option of choice that works. So, yeah, that ability to build, sustain and maintain quality outside the radar and still have that stability when you are called into the arena is why Flip by Fluidcoins made it into today’s chat.
Brass stands out! Not just because of the name but because of their style.
There is a character in how Brass moves.
The character here does not mean behaviour but rather the fact that they exude a level of charisma–this is who we are, and this is how we do things without caring about how others are doing it in the industry.
The first thing that attracted me to the company was the interaction between the team on the TL–how they could openly have differing opinions from the CEO and how Sola would always inform people that he is not directly involved in certain company decisions when it comes to hiring. *An environment where people are not scared to share their thoughts respectfully, argue it out, and then choose one direction for the good of everyone on the team (which everyone will have to stand behind), is a place that cannot grow a robust, scalable DNA.
At least, this is what I see from the outside.
Then, their website (arguably one of the best from Africa in the world) and to the one that triggered my tweet last week, their flyers for programmes and events. It’s almost like they have shoots for the people they want to invite.
https://twitter.com/brassbanking/status/1555284033172537344?s=20&t=_d-8R4i1tCHII9VsVpbMEQ
But yeah, that level of intentionality in how you appear, stand out and move, whilst also listening to your customers on the go, is why Brass is on my list today.
I still don’t understand in detail what they do, but I really just love Accrue
When Tunji saw them on my list last week, he tried to explain but omo, all these crypto this, crypto that, issalong thing for me …
So you see, some of the most amazing people who will talk about you are not those who use your product but those who are excited about how they feel about your brand even without getting to use your product.
There is this thing about them I cannot explain, and if you use the app (I had to download it last week as Tunji was trying to explain), you will stumble on one of the cleanest interfaces ever–compare it with what you find anywhere in the world and come back abeg.
And yeah, trying their time machine is one way to fall in love.
Until next week when I come your way again, I feel the need to share that posting content is not comms for brands. Many people are beginning to mistake being active for building a relationship with your people in intentional everyday conversations.
