WHAT KIND OF FRIEND IS YOUR BRAND. ARE YOU MAKING FRIENDS THE WAY REAL FRIENDS DO?

Bad brands are things, with businesses aims attached to them. They're not giving anything back. They talk AT, not WITH.

They fail to engage with their customers as friends. Bad brands are objects we pass, or people that shout BUY at us all day.

Nobody likes to be shouted at.

Great brands are people. They have personalities, likes, dislikes, stories to tell and mistakes to make. They should be friends to us...

Friends talk to each other. They have conversations.

Friends make mistakes and apologise for them.

Great friends share their weaknesses and ask for help.

Friends don't let us down.

Friends are to be trusted.

Friends don't break promises.

Friends make us feel special. They give us presents.

Friends help.

Friends show us how.

Friends ask us how.

Real friends talk like us. They don't use jargon or legalise.

We all have different kinds of friends...

Friends we hang out with to look cool.

Friends to share our hopes and fears with.

Friends to play sports with.

Friends to go on holiday with.

Friends who are party animals.

Friends who'll hold our hands and dry our eyes

We can't be friends to everyone. Choose your friends.

Is your brand a friend to anyone? What kind of friend are they? Cool, silly, serious, caring, mentoring, glamourous, geeky.

That personality must match your product. Don't be the cool, glamourous party friend, when your customer wants to be friends with a serious, studious, mentoring brand.

Be yourself. Be the sort of friend you're capable of being.

Friends are friends because they make us feel something. They are authentic to our hopes and dreams.

Bad brands are emotionless, or talk to people that don't identify with them. They try to connect emotionally, but can't (see bad social media). Bad brands have the wrong friends, or no friends at all.

Use social media, email, content...hell...every marketing and communication channel to have conversations with your customers and...

MAKE FRIENDS.