Know-How Exchange : Branding

Dear Ho,

Read this very carefully. Your renaming of your electronic database project might, if you play your cards right, just might communicate a name.

What it will not do is communicate a brand. Not possible old boy.
Not in your life time, nor in the life times of your clients, their children, or their children's children.

'Fraid not old bean.

And you can stamp logos hither and yon until the cows come home, but that's not going to brand anything either.

Nope. Alas, it will never happen.

Know why?

Because you're asking the wrong people the wrong questions.

And because, when it comes to meeting the needs of your customers, solving their problems, giving them hope, salvation, value, and a reason to offer prayers to whatever deity it is that they believe in, names and logos don't mean anything.

Every year, companies worldwide spend many millions of dollars "rebranding" themselves by changing their name and sprucing up their logo.

Know what they're really doing? Ignoring a large pink elephant.

Perhaps if they spend a great deal of money over there, it will draw attention away from the fact that the elephant over here is wearing a fluffing, pink tutu, that it's trumpeting loudly, and it's playing in an oompah band while clog dancing in a cymbal factory.

Elephant? Yes, the elephant of customer needs and perception, the elephant of need, trust, desire, and belief. Because until you've generated all these things and more in the minds of your clients and customers, you won't have a brand.

Sticking logos and new names on things is corporate identity, and all that does is please the heads of the company and make design studios and "brand" gurus a great deal of money.

So, what's the answer? Figure out what your customers want and then give it to them but dollop value and benefits on all over the place and KEEP doing it.

Don't ignore that elephant. Ask it to dance!

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA