What is a Brand?

By Arthur Germain, Principal & Chief Brandteller

I know. You read the headline and thought - come on - I know what a brand is! But everybody has a different point of view:

• Designers often will say it’s your corporate identity, including your logo, colors, typefaces and image choices.
• Promotions professionals will say it’s the way you display and share your brand via clothing, printed materials and hand-outs.
• Local business organizations will tell you its how you promote yourself via their sponsorship opportunities.
• Digital marketers will say it has something to do with your online reputation.

They’re not all wrong, but they’re not entirely on point either.

For me, your brand – whether it’s your personal brand or your company brand – is about the promise that you’re making to your intended audience. It the way that you convey your mission, your vision and your values and how that impacts your intended audience.

This is different than how the brand looks or what type of printed products you hand out at a trade show.

In a way, this view of a brand impacts EVERYTHING that you do.

Does this make sense?

Let’s look at a few examples:

• Apple – promises tech you can use that fits into your lifestyle; for a creator that might mean a comfortable tool they can use that doesn’t change the way they create images.
• McDonalds – promises a quick, filling and consistent hot meal you can rely on when you’re on the go; for a busy mom or dad that might mean something they can pick up for the family on the way home.
• Nike – promises performance in their activewear; for an athlete that might mean an extra few seconds shaved off their time on the track or a little more distance on a throw.
• Amazon – promises everything you need as soon as you need it; for a new apartment owner that can mean getting all their bathroom and bedroom supplies as soon as they’ve moved in and not before.

You see where I am going? The brand statement here is all about how the brand promise is relevant and resonates with the intended audience.

Think for a moment about your brand and what it means to your intended audience. What does it mean from their point of view – not yours, but theirs. How will it deliver a positive impact. Can it deliver a surprise? Remember the first time you stayed at a luxury hotel and the turn-down service had turned down your bedding and left you a chocolate on your pillow? Remember that feeling? It is all part of the brand promise and it stays with you forever!

Quick story: The first time my wife and I took our daughters to Disney World, when we purchased something at a gift shop in the Park, the staff offered to have it delivered directly to our room for us so we didn’t have to carry it throughout the park. I was floored! I had no idea. It was a great service.

Of course, you can be completely cynical and say, “That service enables Disney to sell you more goods that you don’t realize until you get back to your room and say ‘What the hell did we buy?’”

But look at it from the perspective of busy, overwhelmed parents who are already toting multiple kids, backpacks, bags, strollers, sun blocker, water and whatever else they need. If that Winnie the Pooh stuffed keepsake can be one less thing to carry? You are all for it! And that becomes part of the Disney World brand promise: a magic time in the park.

Thank about this when it comes to your brand. What are you promising and what are you (really) delivering?

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