Are You a Popular Company?

Article published in Business Magazin

Being popular is often more interesting than being the best. We all remember school, where there was always a classmate who was admired—not necessarily the one with the best grades or the top of the class, but someone with a special charm, a distinct personality, someone who stood out. He was the popular one. And, more often than not, he was also the most sought-after by the girls in his class.

But what if the girls around him were actually your customers?

We also remember having a teacher we eagerly looked forward to seeing in class. He wasn’t necessarily the most knowledgeable in his subject, but he had a positive mindset, a great sense of humor, and somehow, you learned more and better in his lessons—simply because you didn’t want to disappoint him. In short, he earned your admiration and respect, and your decisions were not influenced by external factors but stemmed from internal convictions. And do you know what the main characteristics of a conviction are? They are deep-seated mental directions within the subconscious, which we have no doubt are true. We don’t question their validity.

But what if that popular classmate or teacher were actually a company?

If we look at the effects of an image built on popularity and what we gain from this label (admiration, respect, esteem, trust, conviction, belief…), I’d say it’s worth making this value an integral part of any company’s long-term strategy.

The practical impact of being popular in business follows three major directions. The first and most important: it wins over followers, which means loyalty. Followers often exhibit irrational buying behavior based on emotions and beliefs—a kind of "contagious" emotion, a strong and dependent mental representation. I recommend reading specialists in social representations like J. Piaget, Serge Moscovici, and Émile Durkheim. The second major advantage is an extremely low cost of promotion. Popularity creates a powerful word-of-mouth effect, which is incredibly efficient and cost-effective. I don’t need to elaborate on the power of referrals, the most successful tool used in customer acquisition. The third effect, which stems from the first two, is an increase in the number of customers, greater customer loyalty, and, consequently, higher sales. And as a corollary, all of these translate into one essential thing in today’s business environment: popularity as a source of competitive advantage.

Let’s keep this in mind: popularity is an opportunity for small and medium-sized companies to become known, appreciated, and gain customers and market share against larger companies that lack a strategy in this area. And this isn’t just about being popular with customers—it’s also about suppliers and employees. Just like a company’s external environment, its internal environment also needs to identify with an admired and popular brand. Self-esteem and a strong self-image give optimism and inner strength, helping to overcome obstacles, navigate difficult periods, assess reality accurately, and make sound, realistic decisions.

When doing a SWOT analysis, can you list popularity as one of your Strengths?

However, be cautious—popularity can also be dangerous. The more popular you are, the harder you must work to maintain it. Any mistake resonates more strongly, negative effects are magnified, and the "fall" is much faster. How can you prevent this? The person responsible for communicating the company’s message and shaping its image externally is, in most cases, its leader. Their behavior, attitude, and communication style are of utmost importance. This raises an important question: is there a correlation between leadership and popularity? The answer is clear: Yes, there is a direct correlation. Leadership selection should include popularity as a criterion.

To become popular, you need to be yourself. Henry David Thoreau put it beautifully:
"Be yourself—not your idea of what you think somebody else's idea of yourself should be."

To be popular, you must define yourself, evaluate your values, and avoid playing a role. If you pretend, you deceive yourself and those around you, and that manipulation will eventually turn against you.

We became the most popular transport company in Romania because people saw us as different—rebellious, innovative, creative, and genuine. And we are like that because we identify with these qualities every day. They come from within us, and we live them as ideals, as part of who we are.

We are popular because we smile every day, express gratitude often, dream constantly, and hold strong convictions in our minds and hearts—places no one can take away from us.