Everything is a Brand – What’s Yours?

Mar 21

JeffGeneral Business Practices No Comments

When people think of a brand, the first things that come to mind are companies like Nike, McDonalds, and Starbucks.  Few people pay much attention to what the true meaning of “branding” – which is what that company stands for, which can be summed up with one sentence, idea, or word.  Eventually this trickles down to the consumer – what does it say about you to be a consumer of that company?

A better way to think of branding is the literal meaning – think of a rancher taking a branding iron to his cow’s backside to mark ownership.  That cow will spend his remaining days sporting a logo that has a meaning behind it – namely that he is property.

Back to the companies, they have taken that same hot branding iron, and marked their companies.  Apple’s says COOL.  If you use buy Apple products, then you are cool. Disney says WHOLESOME FAMILY FUN.  If you buy their products, then you are wholesome, and most likely have a family.  Starbucks says AFFLUENT.  If you buy Starbucks, you are a wealthy professional that likes paying $5 for a cup of coffee (just kidding…kind of).

It’s not only companies that are branding themselves.  People can be branded – think of Donald Trump, or Paris Hilton, they have some meaning, whether it’s wanted or not.  TV shows can be branded – one of my favorite shows, Man vs. Wild, was found out to have faked aspects of the show a year or two ago (for those that don’t know, Man vs. Wild is a show where the host is thrown into wild, exotic locales such as deserts and rainforests, and he has to survive and find civilization).  People watched the show to watch the host, Bear Grylls, and say wow, that’s a manly man eating that fish right out of the river and drinking his own urine.  The brand of Man vs. Wild was adventure, toughness, and sheer amazement.  Now that we find out ole’ Bear was sleeping in at the Pines Resort, when he should have been freezing his balls off in the Sierra Nevada’s, well we are pretty pissed that the brand has been a fake.

The point is that a brand can be created or it will evolve naturally.  In either case, a company needs to be aware of their brand, have a brand strategy, and control the messaging of that brand.  For unknown startups, start thinking about your brand from day one.  Control your message.  Your company will be pressed with that hot branding iron whether you want it or not – don’t you want to have a say in what it says?