The other day, I happened to read an article on BBC news about “The Lexicography of Starbucks.” The article’s primary focus is on the frustration some individuals feel toward Starbucks’ desire to force its trendy terminology onto consumers. The author, Jon Kelly, sums up the article quite clearly in the first few paragraphs:
“Do you want decaf or regular? Skinny or full fat? Tall, grande or venti?
Ordering a hot beverage used to be straightforward. Now it is turning into a cultural battlefield.”
After finishing the article, I began thinking about the effect brands have on customers when they create their own terminology for products. Here are my two questions:
How does unique terminology draw consumers to certain brands?
Although consumers are drawn to brands for a number of reasons, I believe one of the main reasons is to feel a part of the crowd. People love to join the crowd—it makes them feel as though they are a part of something. Customers can interact with others who love the brand, as well as those who are employees of the brand, in a new, trendy kind of language. The unique terminology acts as a common thread between individuals who follow the brand and connects them to a common ground: a group / crowd ideology.
Brands that create their own terminology also seem to engage customers more by igniting their imagination with new ways to view the average cup of coffee or hamburger.
How influential are these brands on consumers?
Brands that correctly use their own terminology to attract consumers are often extremely successful. Their influence on consumers goes deeper than we think. Basically, these brands are imposing their beliefs and culture on these individuals, arming them with the ability to influence others to absorb the brands’ beliefs and culture.
When these people incorporate the brand terminology into their own language and ideologies, they begin to subtly influence others around them, including family and friends in both the real world and the virtual world, without even realizing it. Brands are using these individuals as key influencers, or, in other words, as individuals who market for the brand without any form of compensation.
What is your take on brands that use their own terminology? We’d love to hear from you in our comments section.
