Brand Champions as Connectors

Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point looks at how social movements take root and become widespread. His work is based on principles that explain how infections become contagious. Gladwell labels this contagious atmosphere as the Tipping Point, that point where behavior is no longer sporadic but quickly and fully penetrates a system. ^[1]

Gladwell suggests that part of what pushes an idea over this point to become a trend is that it is led by "connectors." Ed Keller and Jon Berry refer to them as the "influentials" in their book by the same title. Keller and Berry argue that the influentials are more important today than ever before because of the fragmented market that advertisers now encounter. ^[2]

Connectors or influentials are people who know a lot of other people from a wide variety of groups. Obviously, these trendsetters who try out new ideas and new products make great brand champions. In large organizations, connectors can sometimes be found in departments such as shipping or other business services because they typically know everyone. Frequently they are gregarious and extroverted, though not necessarily. One thing is for certain, they generally possess one characteristic in boundless amounts: the desire to share information. As Gladwell writes, "[T]here are exceptional people out there who are capable of starting epidemics. All you have to do is find them." ^[3]

Those people are your brand champions. Your task is to identify them and support them to continue the ongoing work of making the message of branded customer service "sticky," another of Gladwell's change factors. Stickiness is a way of presenting ideas so they are memorable and accomplish their purpose. Again, in Gladwell's words, "There is a simple way to package information that, under the right circumstances, can make it irresistible. All you have to do is to find it." ^[4]

Our experience tells us that if you make connectors or influentials your internal brand champions, they have a better chance of creating these sticky messages. Natural leaders from across the organization tend to know how to sell ideas in an irresistible manner. If your brand isn't irresistible, then you need to go back to the drawing board and look at your brand DNA.

You also need help from your human resources department.

^[1]Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2000).

^[2]Ed Keller and Jon Berry, The Influentials (New York, Free Press, 2003).

^[3]Gladwell, The Tipping Point, 132.

^[4]Gladwell, The Tipping Point, 132.