The Six Characteristics of Compelling Brand Content There have been numerous ideas and campaigns that have followed the brand evangelism model to great success, and they all carried some or all of the six characteristics of compelling brand content. These ideas and campaigns are the measuring stick we can use to gauge whether the ideas we are generating have the potential to incite brand evangelism. Not every idea we generate needs to carry each of the following six characteristics, but the more characteristics an idea possesses, the better chance it has at inciting evangelism. Number One: Emotional Does the idea carry an authentic emotion from the brand to the consumer? The days of simply holding up a product and listing the features are gone. As creatives, we now have to communicate what those features mean to someone, and what the product or service brings to their lives. Number Two: Entertaining Is the idea entertaining in some way? If you think back to the brand messages you typically share, they almost always tap into this emotion. Number Three: Experiential Does the idea manifest itself in some form of unexpected experience for the consumer? Number Four: Novel Is the idea new or different? Even just a little bit? Number Five: Story Does the idea use story as a transfer medium? We understand story. Story is the most powerful communication vehicle known to man. We learn through story, and we connect through story. Number Six: Authenticity  Is the idea authentic both to the brand and to the the consumer? Remember: people buy from people. Use your authentic brand voice to tell the story of who you are, and what your product is. The number one mistake in branding is failing to plan. Your brand will have an identity, whether you manage it or not. Take time to assess your brand; the assessment phase helps you see where you want to go, what may be missing, or what needs to be fixed.