Passion Brands vs. Rational Brands with Mathew Evins

As Chairman and Co-Founder of EVINS Communication, Mathew Evins has built his career in service of iconic brands in food and spirits (including Maker’s Mark!) and travel and hospitality. Today these passion brands mean more than ever to consumers. We discussed how to best reach customers today this week on the On Brand podcast. 

About Mathew Evins

Mathew Evins is the Chairman and Co-Founder of EVINS Communications. For 20 years he has led the PR agency to serve consumer-driven iconic brands in the Food, Spirits & Wine; Lifestyle; and Travel & Hospitality industries. He is one of the most respected authorities, authors, and thought leaders in luxury and luxury hospitality. He currently serves on the boards of the Global Virus Network, the International Hotel Investment Forum, and the International Luxury Hotel Association. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Episode Highlights

Passion brands vs. rational brands. Luxury branding can be an interesting and misunderstood label. “There are a lot of passion brands. Often luxury brands don’t know how to speak to their customers. Products serve a real, rational purpose. But rational doesn’t endure.”

Marketing in the travel and hospitality industries. We talked about the challenge of marketing travel at a time when people want to travel more than ever but may be afraid to do so. “Brands need to be able to communicate trust. People want purposeful travel.”

“Marketers are good at turning up the volume,” noted Mathew. “But they need to be better at listening to customers.” A great example of this comes from Maker’s Mark—a longtime EVINS client. Maker’s Chairman Emeritus Bill Samuels, Jr. was also a guest on the On Brand podcast.

Don’t mess with Maker’s Mark. Mathew detailed a story Bill told about a time when the brand listened to their ambassadors’ when they cried out in protest over the idea of reducing the proof of the popular spirit. “We learned you don’t mess with Americana. Maker’s as a brand is a symbol of that.”

What brand has made Mathew smile recently? “At a time when we all need to smile more, I have two.” Mathew shared stories of Uber Eats bringing us food when we’ve been trapped inside and how Publix has built a lifestyle brand around their store. “Brands that make me smile are the ones that pull at the heartstrings or use a little humor.”

To learn more, go to the EVINS Communications website.

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Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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