Point of view.
How I think about branding today.
Over the years, I have called myself—or been called by my employers—a brand strategist, creative director, writer and editor. I’ve unofficially been called a facilitator, alignment-builder, a connector, and a mensch.
Throughout my career, my trade has been brand building. “Brand” is an elusive idea, one whose meaning changes over time depending on who is using the term, what agency they work for, what’s happening in the marketplace, or even what conference or networking event they attended last month, or which LinkedIn post they just read.
Right now, it’s quite stylish to use “branding” and “storytelling” interchangeably. I disagree with this framework. A brand is not a story. Storytelling can be a function of branding, and I believe storytelling has some wonderful devices that can be applied to brand building. But they’re not synonymous practices. Ironically, brand-as-storytelling is a marketing pitch—a false comparison devised to sell an idea because it sounds smart or cool. [Incidentally, marketing and branding are not synonymous, either.]
Feeling. Experiences. Sensemaking.
This is the philosophy and point of view you’ll become part of when we work together:
Brand is a feeling, or a “vibe” as we now say. A brand incites or arouses a gut emotion that sticks with people.
Brand is a system of memorable experiences and interactions that help create the vibe; make people feel part of something special; and invite them to become part of your tribe.
Brand is the way people understand and know you. Brand brings clarity, focus, and meaning. It’s a system for sense making. It’s how audiences and customers understand and relate to a company, an organization, a business strategy, or a product.
A few other things must be true in brand building: an organization’s strategy, experiences, and outward expression must be authentic to who they are—true to its purpose and values, and reflective of its culture from the inside out. Advertising and marketing, which are functions of branding, work the other way—you figure out what your audience wants and give it to them in ways that make them take action (buy, vote, subscribe, share).
Branding is the reason someone buys or believes. It’s only effective when it’s built around a vision—an internal articulation of purpose and an irresistible point of view—that becomes why they choose to join you.
Brand must also be actionable. If you can’t operationalize your brand strategy or commit to sustaining it over time and through the inevitability of change, it’s not worth the investment. This is deep tissue work. It demands patience, commitment, internal alignment, and the hands-on participation of leadership. I’ve seen too much brand strategy go nowhere, or sit on the proverbial shelf, because one or more of these pieces was missing.
Now that I’m on the other side of agency life, I can focus on the three essential components of brand I believe are the most important: create the vibe; build the experiences and interactions a brand uses to connect with people; and bring clarity and focus to organizational storytelling. My primary tool is the written word, and the journey might take us to unexpected places, but these three truths are always in our line of sight.