ethoughts weekly- Issue 174

August 13, 2007

Branding

“Branding” is something to which we are all exposed, but we may not think much about it on a conscious level. In my business, of graphic design and advertising, I do think about it.

A client comes to me and says, “I’m starting a new business, and I need a logo.” It is at this point where we begin to talk about branding. What image do you want the public to have about you. What message, consciously or unconsciously, do you want to send? For instance, it might be that a business excels at the superior quality of their product, or it could be that great and reliable service is their hallmark, or maybe their rock bottom prices can’t be beat.

At a writer’s conference I went to on Friday I learned that branding is definitely applied to writers as well. Think of Tom Clancy, Stephen King, or J.K. Rowling. We probably all know their book style, or “brand” as soon as their names are said. Tom Clancy is the go to guy for technical military science thrillers. Stephen King likes to scare people, a lot. J. K. Rowling is the wealthiest wizard fantasy writer the world has ever known. Their writing has a reputation that proceeds itself. They each have made promises to their readers about a certain kind of product they will deliver, in the form of a certain kind of story, and they routinely deliver what their audience wants. In fact, the sooner a writer finds his or her own unique voice, they can begin to create a saleable brand. If that brand resonates with others, they will do far better than they could ever do without creating a niche for themselves. They will be saved from being aimless, or diversifying their message, and losing their audience loyalty. People like predictability. They want to trust their writers, and know what they are about.

So this comes to my point, because I think my ethoughts brand could be gleaning helpful insights for daily living from ordinary life experiences. Here it is --We are each creating our own brand right now as regular people, each day. For what are you known? What is your reputation? Are you the generous one of the bunch? Are you the big mouth? Are you the one people can call in the middle of the night for roadside assistance? Are you a whiner? Are you the helper? Are you the know-it-all? Are you always there to cheer people up? Are you “all about you”? What ever you are, you already have a brand, trust me. People might not be brave enough to tell us what our brand is, but we definitely have one!

Maybe it’s time for some introspection, and a "brand makeover". Have you ever noticed how every few years a company like General Mills or Quaker will revamp their corporate image, or the image, or ingredients of some of their products? They take advantage of the change by advertising “New and Improved!” on the packaging. Each of us can do the same thing. Of course we don’t exactly have a box that we can put lettering on, but it’s never too late to be new and improved. Our change in attitude and actions should be advertisement enough. Every day is another chance. Remember, we truly DO have a brand, and our brand speaks for itself.

-L

(If you liked this email, you can pass it along.)

check out the new look @

lisadelay.com

Lisa DeLay

©2007