Marketers often spend a long time thinking about the big picture.  About brand platforms, blue sky ideas or high level key messages.  And it’s important stuff, no doubt.

But recently it’s the brands that carry their personality through to the minutest detail that have stuck in my head.  When I logged into my project management tool, Trello, this morning, a cheeky little message told me I was ‘looking great’ (they were right, of course…). At the theatre the other night, I was reminded that the bar sold food via their clever wifi password, ‘perfectpizzas’.  Virgin Media is brilliantly playful too, naming each of its vans with a film theme (my favourite: ‘Van Diesel’).  And I love Lego’s brilliant Error 404 message for a broken link, with a Lego man holding an unplugged cable.

There’s something reassuring about a brand that maintains its voice throughout, that takes the time and effort to talk to its customers so thoughtfully.  It often follows that product delivery and customer service is equally well managed.  So whilst you shouldn’t stop thinking about your next big campaign or viral masterpiece, don’t forget that sometimes it’s the little things in branding that count. They’re often free and can inspire customer loyalty just as much as the grand gestures.