Build up from the foundation: Branding is like solving a Rubik's cube

The other day I was playing around with my Rubik's cube, and I began to think that managing a brand is very much like solving a Rubik's cube.

There are several billion ways to solve a Rubik's cube and, for that matter, to manage a brand. But, like a Rubik's cube, there are few ways to efficiently manage a brand.

The way I solve a Rubik's cube is similar to how I approach branding - I start with the foundation. I like to align the base of the cube and build up from there. This is similar to branding in that I believe great brands start with a strong foundation, rooted in their brand purpose - why the organization is in business; how it will make meaning and contribute to the greater whole.

Once the base is solved, every subsequent move is made to build up from the foundation, and the base helps guide what moves you are to take next in an effort to create a consistent and uniform looking cube - aligning the colored sides.

Branding is very much the same. All initiatives taken are in an effort to support the purpose and build off that purpose. Even though an organization's initiatives, like moves, may vary, they are still in an effort to create a consistent perception of what the brand stands for.

However, any move you take that doesn't build off the foundation will distort the consistency you've created to solve the cube. This forces you to go back and rebuild the base to begin aligning the cube again.

Similar to the cube, when an organization takes a wrong turn and does something against the brand, it appears inconsistent in the eyes of the consumer. This usually forces the organization to go back to its roots and refocus on its brand purpose to ensure future initiatives align with the brand.

But when all the right moves are made, in an effort to build off the foundation and align the sides of the cube, your result is a sense of pride in its consistency, and you can see the cube the way it was designed to be seen - this is the very same for branding!