Stand By Your Brand

Posted August 2, 2012 by Calevir in Calevir News

Line at the Chick-Fil-A inside Coralville Mall in Coarlville, Iowa on August 1, 2012.

In case you hadn’t heard, most of the Internet (and America) has been involved in a debate over the merits of Chick-Fil-A and its stance on gay marriage. Some have sworn
off the chain, while others flocked (no pun intended) to stores yesterday to show their support. Regardless of how you feel about the topic, one thing is incredibly clear:

Taking a stand and giving  your customers the opportunity to stand with you is a good thing.

Being divisive can be a great tactic for your brand. Think of how many sides we’re asked to take every day amongst brands. Coke vs. Pepsi. Chevy vs. Ford. Budweiser vs. Miller. Obama vs. Romney (Oh yes. Politics is most certainly a brand). These brands demand we take a side between them, and that we remain loyal to them.

Asking your customers to side with you can be a winning strategy. While we don’t recommend that you give an interview to a publication tying your personal beliefs to your brand like Chick-Fil-A did, the wide support they saw throughout the country yesterday is proof their brand hasn’t been harmed. Chick-Fil-A didn’t panic in this situation. It stuck by its beliefs, and by doing that asked its customers to stand alongside.

How can you ask your customers to take a stand with your brand?

Image courtesy of Karen Fesler

UPDATE: This post originally said Cathy conducted an interview on a nationally syndicated radio interview. That was incorrect. The interview in questions was done by the Baptist Press.