What the heck is a brand? And what is it not?

Branding (or brand strategy, verbal strategy... take your pick of terminology) is my first and most enduring love, professionally.

As a writer, I’ve done all kinds of other work to keep me busy over the years. from long-form content creation to web copy, brochures to advertising to social media. But it’s the strategic-meets-narrative work of brand definition that gets me to flip open the laptop in the morning.?

Brand. It's on my mind. A lot.

A prime example: My pitch partner and fellow Atlanta east-sider Danielle Scherr grilled me via video on how we go from brand to finished web experience in a few months, and I apparently had a lot to say. This is part one, and refers to my favorite way to think about brand: as a club you build rather than a foundation you pour.

One thing that seems to come up repeatedly as I peruse the socials and even as we talk with folks about potential projects is what brand is and isn’t. So, let’s start the conversation about brand to build with a quick list that warrants a glance, even for me, as the dance of project kickoffs begins and everyone’s excited to just hurry up and make a thing.

First, what a brand isn't:

• A logo and a color palette. Really, folks. That’s just not enough information.
• A handful of adjectives and/or a lonely archetype. No matter what that consultant you hired told you.
• A presentation deck. It’s everything that happens after the presentation. Think about it. ??
• Messaging. Brand builds the club. Messaging defines the details, prints the flyers, and hangs them in the coffee shop next door.

Now, what a brand is:

• The whole shebang of a company or product’s metaphorical being, comprised of elements that are both visual and verbal (not just one or the other). As an example, think how Peloton oozes energy and support, but also hardcore hard work, via their word choices, music, action-shot photography, and bold black and red color scheme. Or how, when you think of Slack, you also think of work, but in their case, with a top note of delight and friendly fun via their ultra-conversational voice, bright colors, and offbeat messaging.
• A position, story, and vibe that, when perceived as a whole, paint a picture of how a company presents itself and behaves when it is interacted with.
• What other people think and feel about a thing when it comes to mind. That’s probably the simplest definition and a great reminder that a brand isn’t what we make it; it’s what people in the world perceive it to be.

Really, a brand is the result of all the things that a company puts into the world. But it's not just the things themselves, it's what people take with them, what they internalize – and what they do because of them.

It's not the voice and tone guide; it's the conversation between product and user that makes use of those carefully planned words.

It's not just a logo or a photography style or a font choice; it's all those things wrapped around information or an alliance people want or need.

And to that point, did you realize LLMs (large language models) aren’t born; they’re trained? Which means they can be BRANDED. ??

Yeah. So, this is my favorite holy crap AI realization of the week. Consider this: An AI is only as good as what it eats. So, you can feed one the sum total of all the world’s marketing, and it’ll probably sound like Seth Godin hooked up with a Hubspot article to birth a loquacious clone army. Or you can feed one a more specific, nutrient-rich diet of your brand’s juicy, distinct personality, and it’ll respond in that voice. Mason Poe argues that this means, even more than ever, that your content is your brand.

Oh, and finally: Hey, I’m writing a book. About brand strategy.?

Surprise! Another fu@#ing brand book in the world. But maybe the last one you'll need...

Follow along for an update every Friday on Twitter/X if you’re into that kind of build-in-public rollercoaster ride.?

BTW, I’d love to hear what you think a brand is and is not, too. Comment away below, and let's chat it out.