This post is the third in a series of four, outlining my definition of TRUE Branding. TRUE is an acronym for True, Relevant, Unique and Engaging, and applies to my rules for successful branding.

The Series posts are titled:

1. TRUE Brands – Part 1, True Brands Just Start the Journey.
2. TRUE Brands – Part 2, It’s Not You, Really.
3. TRUE Brands – Part 3, How Do You Scare a Brand with a Cold? Unique Up On It!
4. TRUE Brands – Part 4, Conversation is So… Engaging.

…

My kids and I were in the fish section of my local Wal-Mart the other day, staring at the blue, buzzing spread of little fishy cubicles. We stood there for what seemed like an eternity when my older son broke the silence with, “Which one would you pick, Dad?”

“THAT ONE!” My 5-year old blurted out as he pointed to a tank filled to the rim with thousands of shimmering, orange-ish disks. It looked like a huge tank of wet toffee candies. I know this because my kids, although they HATE toffee, insist on trying two or three disks every time I buy a bag… ultimately spitting the mass of shimmering orange-ish goo into the palm of my hand.

…I digress…

But there was one fish, not quite orange, not quite gold, swimming in slow circles at the bottom left corner of the tank – precisely where he was pointing.

“Why THAT one?” I asked him, “He’s kind-a funny-looking…”

“No way, he’s cool.” He beamed, “He doesn’t look like the rest of ‘em.” He poked at the tank glass and that one, unique fish darted to the left and disappeared in a blur of orange goo.

I looked again and smiled. I knew why he picked it, but I wanted to prove a point.

In one simple gesture, my son just gave me this blog post. He snuck it into a mindless day at Wal-Mart, while zoning out at a wall of Technicolor tanks full of hundreds of thousands of (what seemed like) the same fish.

Now, to give him credit, he didn’t pick the only Beta out of a tank full of Goldfish. He picked the most UNIQUE Goldfish in that mass of orange goo. This particular Goldfish wasn’t just a Goldfish. Sure, he understood that intrinsically, Goldfish are Goldfish, but this one wasn’t like the others. He was UNIQUE. And that made him more attractive – at least to a 5-year old boy.

Being truthful about your brand started this journey. And of course, the last post was about using those brand truths to become relevant to your market. So, now, unless you’ve developed a widget or service so innovative that you’ve defined a new niche market, your next charge is to prove how your brand stands out in “the fish tank.” Among the other hundreds of thousands of companies out there, what makes your brand UNIQUE?

What brands can you think of that have taken a common, even humdrum product or service and created themselves a TRUE unique brand. How did they make their brand truly unique?

Join the conversation. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Next:
Conversation is so… Engaging.

Keep Cooking!
Andrew

This post is the second in a series of four, outlining my definition of TRUE Branding. TRUE is an acronym for True, Relevant, Unique and Engaging, and applies to my rules for successful branding.

The Series posts will be titled:

1. TRUE Brands – Part 1, True Brands Just Start the Journey.
2. TRUE Brands – Part 2, It’s Not You, Really.
3. TRUE Brands – Part 3, How Do You Scare a Brand with a Cold? Unique Up On It!
4. TRUE Brands – Part 4, Conversation is So… Engaging.

…

Really, once you’ve established your brand on Truth, (see my first post in this series) the focus on you – whether you provide a service or a product – is basically moot. Now you need to figure out how your brand is relevant.

One of my favorite movies, Field of Dreams, had a catch phrase in it that surpassed even the popularity of the movie.

“If you build it, they will come.” Spoken in just a whisper, it inspired a farmer, Ray Kinsella, to go against conventional wisdom and build a baseball field, plowing over 40-plus acres of his farm. Beautiful. Simple. Romantic…

But sometimes I wonder if clients actually take the “if you build it…” statement a little too far. “I have this widget… why isn’t anyone buying it?!?”

In the movies, the relevance (or benefit) of a dream sometimes goes as given. In marketing and communications, it’s a mistake to assume that the relevance of your service, product (whatever) will immediately be accepted or even understood by your intended market.

In Marty Neumeier’s book “The Brand Gap,” (check it out online) he talks about marketing evolution and how “brand” relevance has evolved. Neumeier says,

“We’ve moved from a one-size-fits-all economy to a mass-customization economy, the attention of marketing has shifted from features, to benefits, to experience, to tribal identification.”

He goes on to say,

“…selling has evolved from an emphasis on ‘what it has,’ to ‘what it does,’ to ‘what you’ll feel,’ to ‘who you are.’ This demonstrates that… personal identity has become even more important.”

Relevance is a powerful thing. As children we join particular teams, attend specific schools, and relate wholly to how relevant you are to others in “the tribe.” So why wouldn’t your market define themselves by the brands they choose as well?

Today, it’s not as easy as just communicating the features of your product or service. You need to relate the benefit of that product or service to your market. Without TRUE relevance, you’re going to have a very lonely brand.

Does your brand create a sense or desire of belonging in your market? Or does your brand leave them wanting more… or, God forbid, less? Can you identify TRUE brands that you “relate to” on a tribal level?

I bet you can without even thinking too hard about it…

Next:
How Do You Scare a Brand with a Cold? Unique Up On It!

Keep Cooking!
Andrew

photo credit: http://www.brewerygems.com

This post is the first in a series of four, outlining my definition of TRUE Branding. TRUE is an acronym for True, Relevant, Unique and Engaging, and applies to my rules for successful branding.

The Series posts will be titled:

1. TRUE Brands – Part 1, True Brands Just Start the Journey.
2. TRUE Brands – Part 2, It’s Not You, Really.
3. TRUE Brands – Part 3, How Do You Scare a Brand with a Cold? Unique Up On It!
4. TRUE Brands – Part 4, Conversation is So… Engaging.
…

Tell the truth. My parents told me this. My teachers, from pre-K to college, drummed this into my head. Tell the truth. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Then how come it’s so hard for companies to be truthful about their brand?

Well, my simple answer is, they’re not being true to themselves and are lost. Either, they’ve tried so hard to “be something” when they grow up that they’ve forgotten who they were when they started the journey; or, they’re trying too hard to be what they’re not (or can’t be).

Whether you’re a small, start-up business or a Fortune 500 company, if your brand isn’t based on truth, then you’ll soon see discrepancies in customer perception, in communication, in retention of clients and employees, and eventually, in the bottom line.

So, is your brand truthful? Without looking at your mission or positioning statements, ask yourself these five simple questions:

Who am I?
What do I do?
Where do I do it?
Why do I do it?
How do I do it?

Loosely derived from the 5W’s of investigative journalism, these are the base questions that need to be asked in the review or development of your brand. These questions need to be answered (honestly) by everyone in your company – from the CEO to the Receptionist. And if you’re both, then the process will be quicker, but not any easier.

Once these questions have been answered, and you have a “snapshot” of your company, then compare it to your brand. Do they match? Can you honestly say you’re being true to your brand – to your customers? Can you move on to how your brand relates to your market (Relevance), or do you need to re-assess the course’s starting point, or maybe even the final destination?

Sometimes you get so caught up in the destination, you forget to pay attention to the road that’s taking you there. A course outlining the base truths of your brand is a good place to start in creating a TRUE brand. It’s also a great tool to review from time-to-time, just to make sure you’re “staying the course.” (sorry)

Just like North on a compass, truth establishes the direction (and the tone) of your journey.

Truth in your brand should be the first step of a long journey. Once you’ve based your brand on the truth, then you’ll be ready to review how your brand relates to your market.

Next:
It’s Not You, Really.

Keep Cooking!
Andrew