Communication is the first step in the journey towards the intended destination. The destination is the stage when the brand’s message is understood and accepted by everyone. The stage when there is no consumer resistance to the marketing message, and the customer feels at peace with the association, can be named Brand Communion.

Communion is when the brand becomes synonymous with an expression. When you “Colgate your teeth, rather than brushing them,” when you “Xerox your documents, rather than photo copying them,” when you “buy an Apple, rather than a laptop,” you are in communion with Colgate, Xerox and Apple brands.

Yet, not all communions are created the same. On the line of brands, there are utility brands on one extreme and premium brands on the other.

These extremes dictate the kind of message and experience the consumer is expecting to realize when he uses the brand. Colgate and Xerox are utility brands that established themselves on the lines of availability, features and benefits. This, however, is not the case with the Apple Computers brand.

Brand’s Experience is a critical element in building the communion for premium brands. How the brand feels, smells, sounds, looks and tastes - each calls out for an immediate emotional associations in the brain. Malcom Gladwell explains this by the “Power of Context” concept.

“The key to getting people to change their behavior, in other words, sometimes lies with the smallest details of their immediate situation. The Power of Context says that human beings are a lot more sensitive to their environment than they may seem.” - Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell

The Power of Context directs marketers to invest most of their energy in managing the context in which the brand’s message is communicated. The Context is often the message in itself. A celebratory event sets the mood for a high octane victory speech, a romantic lullaby spikes the sale of music CDs, a playful toy store is great for kids shopping, and a serene & beautiful bank of a river is ideal for a spiritual gathering.

Once you have the setup right, it is time to focus on coming up with a catch-phrase that has a high “stickiness score.” The elements of the experience that would remain long after the event is over constitute the stickiness factor. A perfect marketing communion would entice the Mavens, Connectors and Salesmen to use that catch-phrase every time they describe the experience in its context.

With enough people talking about it using the catch-phrase and other experiential elements from the context, you could generate a “tipping point” for your product sale. You could set the ball rolling in the right direction for a great brand experience and a wonderful brand communion.