A short, sharp approach to brand definition
A brand is a set of associations and feelings in people’s heads. You can influence those associations but you can’t control them. In that respect, it’s your audience’s brand as much as it is yours.
That’s why it’s useful to think of your brand as a blunt instrument. Blunt instruments are good for making a lasting impression but they are not subtle. And that’s an entirely appropriate metaphor for how brands work. Powerful brands bash away at their audiences with simple, consistent messaging for long periods of time.
You need to make it easy for people to form the right associations about your brand. And that means a tight brand definition with as few moving parts as possible. Any brand that has a promise, a proposition, a vision, a mission, and an essence is not going to work as a blunt instrument. It will be ridiculously over-engineered for your audience. And it will confuse the hell out of the people in your organisation who have to work with it.
A simple, sharply defined brand will guide the ideas, the behaviours, the language, and the aesthetics that will give you the best chance of creating the desired associations in the heads of your audience.
Phil methodically cut through the smog, delivering a concise and insightful analysis of what our brand strategy could be. He is a real joy to work with.
Founder – SAAS business in the travel sector
If you need some help to turn your brand into a sharply defined blunt instrument, drop me a line by email.
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