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The Hallmark Of An Excellent Brand

Have you heard of Hallmark Channel?  If you haven’t, tons of other people have, because they certainly have some super fans of their brand!

Hallmark is constantly producing, creating and premiering their own original movies throughout the year and one of their most popular seasons is Christmas.  They literally start airing ALL their original holiday movies starting in late October through the end of December.  

(This is why this is top of mind for me right now, because I have Hallmark Christmas movies in the background round the clock and man, it makes me want to bake cookies, trim the tree and have a snowball fight!)

Why do people love tuning in for a Hallmark movie?  I’m going to tell you why I believe Hallmark Channel is an excellent brand…

THEY UNDERSTAND WHY THEIR AUDIENCES TUNE-IN

It always comes back to knowing your audience and having clarity about why they love your brand.  If you have fans of your business, find out why they’re fans.  People love tuning into Hallmark Channel because they know exactly what to expect.  No one is going there for cinematic quality visual effects films, documentaries, or academy winning performances.  Nope!  They expect predictable, slightly cheesy and utterly charming…and that’s what Hallmark delivers every time.

THEY TUG ON THE HEARTSTRINGS AND TAP INTO EMOTIONS

While new people to the network may come across the channel and think, wow, every single movie is so formulaic!  It’s like they’re making the same movie over and over again.  Yes, precisely.  Obviously there are differences, but honestly, there are more similarities! 

Hallmark knows their audience loves happy endings.  They know people want to see two people fall in love and overcome obstacles to finally be together.  They are delivering an emotional feast that viewers LOVE.

THEY OVER-DELIVER, ESPECIALLY AT CHRISTMAS

Hallmark takes what their audiences love – happy endings, falling in love, families and friends coming together, overcoming odds to prioritize love – and they keep creating MORE.  Over the 2 months leading up to Christmas, Hallmark debuts 22 new original heart-warming stories!  Yes, I did say twenty-two!  They know what works, what their fans expect, and they take it next level by giving them more of what they love.

We could all learn a thing or two about branding from Hallmark. Ask yourself:

  • Why does your audience love what you offer?

  • How can you tap into their emotions and core motivations?

  • How can you over-deliver on expectations and win their hearts even more?

Answer these questions for your brand, and you’re on your way to creating the hallmarks of an excellent brand.  

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