Be Your Brand

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My colleagues over at Bulldog Drummond have assembled an informative, inspiring collection of pieces entitled, “Be the Brand.” All are related to the central tenet that, “Brand is not a logo or a tagline. It’s a multidimensional platform that can be your greatest differentiator and competitive edge.

Among all the great content are a few pieces that really resonated with me:

  • If No One Hates You, No One’s Paying Attention: On Heel Turns and Making Branding Matter” by Alf Rehn is a provocative piece about “thinking through who might not enjoy your brand, and who your brand should stand up against.”
  • Scott Schimmel writes in “Close the Experience Gap”: The brands that we love have the magical ability to back up what they say. And if they don’t, then they own the gap, apologize, and make it right.
  • Rick Liebling  writes in “Why Does Your Brand Exist”: Over the last couple of years it has become fashionable to say, “You don’t own your brand—the people do.’…[But] Nobody ever suggests that “the people” own Apple. Or Nike, Chipotle, Netflix, Starbucks or Warby Parker. Why? Because these brands have taken the time to dig deep and truly understand the fundamental question of why they exist. They asked themselves hard questions, they’ve made sacrifices, and they’ve committed to staying true to their core values.
  • Dr. Keegan Sheridan writes in “Preach What You Practice”: “…Although practicing what you preach will always be the foundation of brand authenticity, we now have a unique opportunity to preach what we practice and help lead conversations and ultimately people and planet health to a better place.”

I encourage you to check out these and insightful perspectives in the collection. And while you’re there, please take a look at my modest contribution to the conversation, Why Brand?! I write about how brand-building looks very different the way great brands do it, including how great brands use purpose, more than promotion or products, as the driver of their differentiation.

Original Post: http://deniseleeyohn.com/bites/2014/05/21/brand-2/?