Love Mark vs. Trade Mark

Build brands people emotionally connect with, not just recognize

Barbra Gago
Category creation and brand building | Barbra Gago (Pando, Miro, Greenhouse, Culture Amp)

Love Mark vs. Trade Mark

"There's this concept of a love mark rather than a trade mark. It's like how do you build a brand? I think Airbnb has done a great job with that as well, but how do you build a brand that people really love and so committed to and invested in? And that you have to put a lot of thought into it, and it needs to be authentic for it to really work, but if it does, it's super, super powerful." - Barbra Gago

What It Is

The Love Mark concept distinguishes between brands that are merely recognized (trade marks) and brands that create deep emotional connection and loyalty (love marks). A trade mark is a legal designation and a visual identifier. A love mark is a relationship—something people feel invested in, committed to, and emotionally attached to.

Building a love mark requires authenticity, as Barbra Gago emphasizes. It cannot be manufactured through marketing alone; it must emerge from genuine company values that permeate every customer interaction. When successful, love marks create powerful defensibility and word-of-mouth that no advertising budget can replicate.

How It Works

The framework identifies the key difference between brand types:

Trade Mark Characteristics

  • Visual recognition (logo, colors)
  • Legal protection
  • Consistent presentation
  • Functional associations

Love Mark Characteristics

  • Emotional connection
  • Community belonging
  • Value alignment
  • Personal investment
  • Advocacy and loyalty

The Bridge: Authentic Values

  • Company values must inform brand behavior
  • Values shape how employees interact with customers
  • Every touchpoint reflects values naturally, without training
  • The brand becomes "interchangeable with the people at the company"

How to Apply It

Step 1: Root Brand in Values

  1. Identify your company's authentic values
  2. Ensure values are lived internally, not just stated
  3. Design brand expressions that emerge from values
  4. Example: At Miro, each letter represented different values (agility, etc.)

Step 2: Integrate Brand and Culture

  1. Make brand expressions flow naturally from employee behavior
  2. Don't train touchpoints—let values guide interactions
  3. Hire for value alignment so brand is expressed authentically
  4. "When you talk about Google, you also talk about its people"

Step 3: Connect to Larger Mission

  1. Articulate what your company enables for the world
  2. Miro's mission: "Help companies build the next big thing"
  3. This creates a purpose people can attach to emotionally

Step 4: Maintain Authenticity

  1. Don't manufacture emotion—let it emerge
  2. Invest thought in brand development, but stay genuine
  3. Recognize that this takes time and consistent behavior

When to Use It

Aim for love mark status when:

  • You're building for the long term
  • Customer loyalty matters for your business model
  • Your company genuinely has values worth connecting to
  • You can sustain authentic behavior over time

Trade mark focus may suffice when:

  • You're in highly transactional businesses
  • Brand is primarily functional (commodity products)
  • Speed to market matters more than deep loyalty
  • Company culture is still forming

Source

  • Guest: Barbra Gago
  • Episode: "Category creation and brand building | Barbra Gago (Pando, Miro, Greenhouse, Culture Amp)"
  • Key Discussion: (37:35-41:18) - Discussion of love marks and how values inform brand
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

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