Emotional Rescue: Enrich Your Brand in 2008

In our personal and professional lives, relationships matter. This year, marketers should resolve to make their brands emotionally stronger by the end of 2008.

After the chaotic surge of December's holiday madness, we enter 2008 with time to reflect and decide upon New Year resolutions that can make this year "so much better." Something vital that often gets overlooked is improving the relationships that matter. This is central to all that we do as brand marketers, because as it's truly the enabler that can unlock all the other good intentions to improve brand business growth drivers.

Here are my top six New Years resolutions for enriching the emotional life of your brand:

• Truly understand what's on customers' minds this year.
• Understand how the relationship is evolving in their lives.
• Reestablish the insight that's central to the relationship.
• Better align with their life values - even if it's hard to go there.
• Create more aura around your aspirational relationships.
• Find inspiration in your expert consumers - they have great insight if you can make the time to listen.

By the end of 2008, will your brand be better at relationships and will you feel emotionally closer to those that matter? You business resolutions depend on it.

Laurence Knight is principal of Fletcher Knight, a marketing consultancy based in Stamford, CT.