A couple of nights ago, I saw the movie Hitch.
Yes, it’s in the chick flick category, but I’m not afraid to admit that I really enjoyed it.
And I believe an important lesson can be drawn from Hitch for brand builders.
(Anyone familiar with On Brands knows I like to cull lessons on branding from movies. See Defining Brand Personality with Help from Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods and Brand Building with Tiny Rock Hammers.)
In Hitch, Will Smith stars as Alex “Hitch” Hitchens, a professional date doctor, and Kevin James co-stars as bumbling accountant Albert Brennaman. The poor guy has no game whatsoever, but finds himself helplessly in love with a glamorous celebrity, Allegra Cole (Amber Vailetta). Feeling as if he doesn’t stand a chance, he hires Hitch to help win her affection.
From the beginning, Hitch imparts an important lesson we can all learn from: be yourself.
Here’s what Hitch explains to Albert: “She may not want the whole truth, but she does want the real you. Women can always tell when you’re not being real with them.”
With coaching from Hitch, Albert and Allegra’s relationship begins to take off. That is, until a gossip columnist exposes Hitch as the date doctor and causes Allegra to break off the romance, believing her relationship with Albert is a fraud.
This leads Hitch to confront Allegra and try to convince her to give Albert another chance. Here’s the scene:
Hitch: My job is not to deceive, Miss Cole. It’s to create opportunities.
Allegra: Like the boardroom.
Hitch: Would you have noticed him otherwise?
Allegra: Yes… Eventually… Maybe. How did you know all that stuff about me? You really did your homework. (Hitch shrugs)
Like at boarding school when everyone used to tease me because I couldn’t whistle.
And having him dance like a buffoon knowing that I can’t dance, either.
Then telling him to drop mustard on his shirt, so I’d feel less like a dork.
That was all you, right?
Hitch: No. Hell, no.
Allegra: That was him?
Hitch: That’s got Albert written all over it.
Allegra: Did you put him up to the inhaler?
Hitch: Stop it. He did not show you that.
Allegra: He chucked it right before he kissed me.
Hitch: So, wait… that stuff worked for you?
Allegra: It was adorable. (She pauses) What did you do?
Hitch (Beaming): Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Allegra (Beaming as well): That’s good.
Hitch walks away with a new insight: as a professional dating consultant, he doesn’t really do anything too significant. Albert and his clients were mostly successful by just being themselves. All Hitch did was help create opportunity for them and boost their confidence.
At the end of the film, Hitch speaks to the audience on dating with this line: “Basic principles… there are none.”
In contrast, basic principles in branding… there definitely are some.
And one of them certainly is that a brand must earn respect by being true to itself, by being true to what it stands for. A brand doesn’t get respect by pretending to be something it isn’t. To be successful, you’ve got to know who you truly are.
Because eventually, and sooner rather than later, consumers/buyers will figure it out, especially when the brand promise goes undelivered.
Just as Hitch says women can tell when their date is not being real with them, consumers/buyers can tell when a brand is a phony. You can’t manufacture a compelling and authentic brand experience. Brands either live up to expectations or fall flat.
Our job as brand builders is, in part, to help create the right conditions for brand discovery, just like Hitch helps create opportunities for his clients. But the brand must be genuine. Sure, we can try to dress it up, teach it to dance, offer some cautions and tips, and all of that can help a brand on its way… but the brand and its set of promises must be real to stand a chance at claiming a place in people’s hearts.
