Think of one iconic brand and consider all of the words that come to mind as you are considering it. That brand, whether it is a store, service, nonprofit or ministry, etcetera should all have one core mission/goal and everything should stem from it.
Branding includes everything from the obvious logo and taglines to congruent advertising messages, the styles and manners of those who are part of the organization, and the story that goes along with the branding. How does the brand make you feel? How and why does it garner your loyalty?
A brand should be casting its vision and values in everything it does. Glitches in branding happen all the time but the masters at it assure that those branding glitches are few and far between. Think of Disneyland. When you walk through those gates Disney has promised an experience like none other and everything they do revolves around the goal based on the vision and values established by Walt and developed and improved upon over the years.
Congruency, consistency, and a commitment to holding to ones branding is paramount. Yesterday I saw a photo on a social media site of a friend branding their cattle. That brand shows ownership and commitment. It also means for this family operation’s cattle are all the same breed, they are quality, they are well cared for, and when they go to market, you have an assurance of health and value of the cattle. This should be true not only with our businesses and organizations, but in a large part it should be so with our lives.
Is our overall message to others consistent with our vision and values? Do we minimize the glitches by choice to stick with the “branding”—without doing it for show, but because we choose to stick to who we are, what we believe, and because of Who we belong to? Miserable living stems from allowing our behaviors and the way we live to run counter to our core beliefs. It will vex our souls and spirits because of the incongruences. It is the thief of peace.
What if we took our branding seriously enough to construct and write it out? We have to for our businesses and projects but we can also do it for ourselves and for our family if we are rearing one.
Things don’t usually “just happen” really. We decide these things and then live out our thoughts and beliefs. As always, I am speaking to myself but also sharing what may of be of value to you as well. Whether personal or for our business or organization we should clearly know our vision and values and let everything flow forth from them. Because branding isn’t just for business.
Photo: Wikipedia
Annette Trucke 