How To Have A Hot Brand Summer
As temperatures start to rise, three little words make their reappearance. Hot brand summer. They’re short, they’re sassy, they’re not going anywhere.
Everywhere you look you see the same phrase. In memes, songs, Instagram captions, and more. The term “hot girl summer” has become synonymous with confidence, authenticity, and fun.
Megan Thee Stallion first came up with the phrase sometime around 2018. She defined it this way: “It’s about women and men being unapologetically them, just having a good-ass time, hyping up their friends, doing you.”
I read that and something clicked. So I thought - stay with me here - what if our brands could do the same: be unapologetically real, have a good-ass time, and hype up others. So here’s your highly-anticipated guide for having a Hot Brand Summer.
What Is A Hot Brand Summer?
Hot Brand Summer is more than a parody —it’s a strategy.
It’s about being the best, worry-free version of your brand all summer long. It’s about having the confidence to identify your core values and release your inner bad bitch brand, regardless of what everyone else is doing.
3 Steps To Having A Hot Brand Summer
BE UNAPOLOGETICALLY REAL.
It’s not just good for you, it’s good for business. A whopping 90% of customers mentioned brand authenticity as an important deciding factor in where they spend their money.
The thing about authenticity, though, is you can’t fake it. People can tell. To truly create an authentic brand, you’re going to have to take part in some reflection. Figure out why your brand exists - beyond making money for you.
Here are some questions to help you get started:
What is your brand’s vision?
What do you stand for?
What’s your mission?
Then embrace it. Allow your brand to embody that authenticity – without apology - the Megan Thee Stallion way.
HAVE A GOOD-ASS TIME.
Not to get all nerdy on you, but there are three ways that companies can appeal to consumers and convince them to make purchases:
Ethos (ethical appeals - we’re good and trustworthy)
Logos (logical appeals - we have supporting facts and evidence)
Pathos (emotional appeals - we make you feel a certain way)
In recent years, advertising that relies on pathos has become more and more successful. It’s why insurance companies - with arguably one of the most boring products around - have some of the most hilarious advertisements around.
It’s probably because - in the world we live in - we all use a laugh right now. In fact, 58% of consumers follow social media accounts specifically to see things that make them laugh.
Hot Brand Summer is all about having a good time. Be silly. Laugh at yourself. Let your quirky flag fly.
HYPE OTHERS UP.
Having a Hot Brand Summer is about choosing community and collaboration OVER competition.
In her article, How To Be Different, Not Better, Brand Strategist, Jasmine Bina warns against falling into what she calls “the ‘better trap’.”
“As long as you’re ‘better than X’, your identity is tied to that other entity. You’re always in some version of a mud-slinging fight, even if you never mention the other’s name.”
And here are some common ways that brands claim to be better: faster, cheaper, easier, more responsive, superior service, voted #1, top-rated, guaranteed, etc.
Jasmine Bina, How to Be Different, Not Better
Successful brands, she argues, don’t focus on how they’re better. They focus on how they’re different.
So with that in mind, feel free to release any need for competition. To look down your proverbial nose at other business owners. Or to metaphorically curl up in the fetal position because you feel there is no way you can ever be better than so-and-so.
You don’t have to. You’re free to be different. And being different means you can cheer them on, hype them up, and collaborate together. By the end of summer, you might just find that it was the best thing you’ve ever done for your brand.
Okay, okay, Hot Brands, now get in formation ‘cause you’re ready to slay.
(Call me a DJ because I’m mixing songs and artists like a boss.) But back to my point…
To sum up, part of the beauty in what you offer is that you do it in a way 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬. Are you ready to have some fun and embrace your true self? Let’s personalize your session to highlight your strengths and reflect your brand.
Finally, if you’re in (or plan to visit) the Austin, Texas area, be sure to check out the heartfelt brand experience.