To brand well is the “human network”
You raise your eyebrows. You shrug your shoulders. You wink. You drum your fingers on the table. All human reactions. All very subtle reactions clearly visible via Cisco Systems teleconferencing products. But in promoting this enhanced capability, Cisco doesn’t tout the technology, the features, the bells, or the whistles. It touts the fact that you’ll be able to see the nod of the person sitting at the head of a table 2,000 miles away. The person who agrees with your idea. Seeking affirmation that you’ve got a great idea is human. Cisco knows this. And it knows what it’s doing with the introduction of its new brand campaign, “The Human Network.” Building a brand on the end benefit is nothing new. It’s been done a hundred times before. What makes Cisco’s use of an end benefit in its rebranding efforts so powerful is how delightfully simple a brand idea ‘human network” is. Cisco has long been a leader in its category, but in going for a brand identity beyond its wares, it’s given its well-respected brand name a strong emotional base on which to build for the long term. Cisco’s “human network” branding communications don’t mention shared port adapters, interface processors, or integrated service routers. They beautifully integrate stories of what was made possible for people as a result of this technology. Eight-year-old leukemia patients whose fears are calmed through interaction with specific Web sites. Budding entrepreneurs who can easily link to online mentors. Fifteen-minutes-of-famers who want help filming and downloading their YouTube masterpieces. Big business MIS managers who don’t have to worry about getting all the right puppies in the box for the annual board meeting. “On the human network, anything is possible,” states Cisco’s newly designed Web site. Its products and services may be smartly engineered to enable a human network, but its new brand identity is just as smart. Cisco identified something new, yet as old as time for its refreshed brand identity. It’s not about the stuff you make, but the people who use it. What they use it for. And why they’re better for it. To brand well is not necessarily human, but in Cisco’s case, it is.