I had an employee reporting to me, who is habitually late every morning. And despite repeated assurances, she continued to pursue her way of showing up in the morning, which is late as usual. Not only that, when time came she was vocally reminding me of promoting her. And despite so many supervisory, negative comments that i should have made, “0” is the number of times i actually scolded her. She got her promotion in due time. And next morning, she came 2 hours late as usual.

Why such concilliatory treatment for her, you may ask. And the answer might not surprise you.

Despite her obvious shortcomings, she had one incredible thing going for her, which i called the “Likeability” factor. For her pleasant personality and overall way of handling business, its next to impossible to actually go about the business of scolding her!

Your brand could be, and in my opinion should be, like that girl. So much focus has been given to market share, brand preference, positioning, advertising etc. has been given in the past, that the most important aspect of it all got lost. Its the “like-ability” factor. Give an honest account of yourself. Does the people in general like your brand?

If you are Apple, the answer is yes. Thats what sets this brand apart. Not the super cool product, not the design, not the innovation. Its the like-ability factor. People honestly believe if Apple is a person, he should be the the quarterback of the high school class, the prom king and valedictorian – all rolled into one.

There is a lot to be learned from those person who simply have their own way in life, and still people love them.