Two Years and Counting

Note: Image from Flickr

Two years and twice the fun! Yep, that's right -- I've been blogging about branding for two years now, and I'm still in love with it!

Looking back, what started as an outlet to write about a topic that interests me, has now turned into a personal brand purpose -- to help organizations around the world make meaning and live it everyday!  This purpose has not only fuelled my work professionally, impacting my approach to the projects I work on, but it has also influenced who I am on a daily basis.

I'm continually on the look for organizations that are innovating ways to make meaning and remain true to their promises. Hence, I have fallen in love with TOMS shoes and am currently in Tanzania volunteering for the Tanzanian Children's Fund.  These are two organizations with wonderful purpose and all their actions are geared towards delivering on that promise.

I look forward to seeing where this blog continues to take me, challenging my thinking and pushing me to hunt for brands with real, meaningful purpose at their core.

Thank you so much for reading my blog and for contributing your comments!  Don't be shy -- I'm always looking for more point of views and interesting commentary to add to the content on this site, so comment away!

Thanks again for an amazing two years!

Brand = Gut Feeling

Note: Definition from dictionary.com

It's be a while since I've written about the basics of branding. Recently, I began to consider the definition of 'brand' itself, which, then, made me start to think about how brands form their definitions so people know who they are and what they stand for.

According to dictionary.com, a brand is a kind, grade or make as indicated by a stamp or trademark (aka logo).  OK -- so if a brand is a cue to the quality or type of product we're going to purchase and/or associate with, then where do those feelings come from?

The feelings we have towards brands, are based on our interactions with them. And it is these feelings that define the brand.  Therefore, a brand is not the logo or name, nor it is an experience with an organization, as I sometimes hear it defined. Instead, the logo and name are the cues for a brand, which through personal experiences/interactions with the organization/product/service create a gut feeling towards the brand. From here the brand is defined among the general public as people discuss these experiences, using the brand name and logo as their reference point.

It's like Marty Neumeier says, the brand is not what you (the organization) says it is; rather it's what they (the general public) say it is. However, there are always ways to influence a brand's definition, and it starts from within:

Brand Definition Process

A brand cannot be created on its own. Rather, its definition is based on three key phases:

1. Internal Brand Definition: the brand purpose is established and perpetuated throughout the organization
2. Brand Delivery: this is where the organization's talent delivers on the brand creating experiences which influence people's gut feelings towards the organization
3. External Brand Definition: finally, to spread the gospel, people tend to share their experiences/interactions with others influencing the brand is defined to the general public

It's important to note that in this process the external brand definition has the most impact, and ends up being the primary definition for the brand. Therefore, an organization must perfect phases one and two to adequately influence how they want their brand to be defined. To ensure the internal brand message is being effectively communicated externally, it's important to (1) listen and see what's being said about the brand to alter certain initiatives influencing the external perceptions; and (2) run through this process a number of times to ensure the brand is understood internally to influence the external definition. 

Phase 1: Internal Brand Definition

Great brands start with purpose. This is the crazy hairy audacious idea/dream/goal that guides the organization forward. It usually is motivating and clear to its talent so they know how to move forward and deliver on this purpose daily, without being too prescriptive.


Typically the brand purpose is broken down in two parts:

1. Aspiration: This is the long-term vision/milestone to accomplish the organization's purpose
2. Truth: This is what the brand does today to reflect its purpose

Brand's like TOMS Shoes, Nike and IKEA have such strong founding values and purpose (One for one; authentic athletic performance and democratic design) that anyone who works for one of these organizations knows what the long-term goal is and are given the exciting task to deliver on the purpose today, which brings us to phase 2...

Phase 2: Brand Delivered

This phase is essential! This is where the perceptions for the brand are established, which goes on to influence the overall brand definition. It's like Steve Jobs says, "The perception about a brand is reality" making it essential for the brand to be built into the culture of the organization so when someone interacts with the brand, a consistent brand experience is being delivered.

I recently read an article (forgive me I have forgot where) and it said that every time Apple goes to create something, the first question asked in the room is, "what's the customer experience".  It's having key questions, like this, that tie to your core brand pillars, which ensure every time a person interacts with a branded touchpoint the experience influences how the brand is defined.

Phase 3: External Brand Definition

It's in this phase where the reputation -- the most dominant definition -- for the brand is established and propagated.  I recently found a couple rather telling stats on Bazzarvoice saying, "The average consumer mentions specific brands over 90 times per week in conversations with friends, family, and co-workers. (Keller Fay, WOMMA, 2010)" and "74 percent are influenced by the opinions of others in their decision to buy the product in the first place. (Manage Smarter, September 2009)".  These tell me there is little room for organizations to falter in delivering an 'on-brand' experience, or they run the risk of negatively impacting the brand's perception, or worse yet, they miss the opportunity to influence the definition at all, because people talk about brands a lot, and to a captive audience to boot! It's when people talk to others that the brand becomes defined and the gut feeling towards an organization is planted.

If this process is done correctly, you know you have successfully defined and delivered on your brand when (1) people choose you over the competition, (2) they are willing to pay a premium to have your products or use your services, and (3) when they keep coming back for more!

Off to Tanzania

Today, I'm off for a month long adventure volunteering in Tanzania with the Tanzanian Children's Fund!  I couldn't be more excited, as this is something I've been wanting to do for years.  I feel lucky to have come across this organization, as I greatly appreciate its purpose to create a family dynamic, while providing education to these wonderful children.

Having come from a strong and supportive family and network of friends, I believe establishing a good family dynamic is the foundation that builds confidence, self-worth and an opportunistic outlook on life. 


During my time in Tanzania, I will be helping prepare the children for their day and tuck them in at night. I will, also, be a teacher's aide, tutoring English and Math, along with planning and arranging playtime activities.  Having benefited from an amazing education myself, I'm thrilled to pay it forward by helping with the development and education of these children.  After all, these children represent the future of Africa, where 50% of the population is now under the age of 15!


While I'm away, I have lined up some blog posts to keep you full of content! I hope you stayed tuned, and if I have a chance, I will post some of my adventures and any cool brand experiences or interesting learnings I come across along the way!


See you in a month!

People Not Consumers

Note: Image from Flickr

Sometimes we use words so much that they end up feeling meaningless and repetitive.  That's how I feel about the word 'consumer'. I'm tired of referring to people as consumers. For awhile I wasn't sure why, other than the fact that it just seemed impersonal and generic.  So, after some thought on why I feel this way, I've come to this conclusion:

People are more than consumers, and we need to start viewing people in a more all-encompassing manner.

When we look at people as consumers, we only see them as a selling challenge or opportunity. This is a very narrow and bottom-line way of approaching people. Rather, we should be looking at people as people taking note of their intricate and dynamic lives and how they interact within their environment, or with other people in their community, society etc.

I feel taking this perspective is more pertinent than ever before, because, like Umair Haque has noted on several occasions, people are looking for brands that have a point to what they do. People want to see brands contribute something of value that benefits them, society, the environment, and even the future.  People expect the brands they buy to deliver beyond the product and service, contributing to their lives in a meaningful and relevant way.

An example where we can see this, is by looking at daytime TV-- odd I know -- but recently, ABC cancelled All My Children and One Life To Live, leaving them with just one soap opera. In fact, you are hard pressed to find any network to have more than one soap opera. ABC is replacing these programs with shows devoted to cooking, nutrition and health. This change in demand indicates that people want to spend their time where they can receive tangible value, which they can apply to their daily lives. I feel this is the same for brands (companies, products and services).

Brands need to stop thinking in terms of selling challenges (purposeless) and start defining the role it can play in people's lives (establishing and delivering on a purpose).

I like how Nick Kepple-Palmer, from Wolff Olins, writes about how the new way of business is more about collaboration and less about competition. This is about defining the brand's role in people's lives, finding others who share a similar purpose, and extending what the brand delivers to satisfy its role in a relevant way.

In order to do this, we need to look at people more holistically, rather than as selling challenges -- consumers. By looking at people as people, we can consider all aspects of their lives. This allows a brand to see where its purpose fits and what role it can fulfil in a person's life as an individual, community or on a global level.

By looking at people as people, it opens up greater areas of opportunity for the brand to earn its value, innovate, grow and remain relevant into the future.