Brands

Companies spend countless hours and dollars researching what resonates with consumers when designing concepts surrounding a brand.  Some of the most iconic brands use symbols and few, if any words, to create their logo.  Company logos communicate the essence of the brand.  There are brands so universally understood that their name is synonymous with the product.  How often do you say Kleenex for a tissue, Tylenol for acetaminophen, or Band-Aid for a bandage?  Talk about marketing and branding genius.

The past decade of my professional life has been spent in the agricultural world.  When I entered this career, I knew very little about the brands associated with the industry.  However, any lifelong farmer could have identified these in their sleep.  Now, I stand among those who know the company tied to bright red and the organization tied to vibrant green.  I don’t even need to be given the symbol or logo to know which piece of equipment belongs to which brand just by the colors.

Other products don’t have brands that have the same mental associations.  I travel extensively and yet I can’t readily describe many of the brands, logos, or even names of the products I routinely use.  Anyone know the brand of the charging block they use for their cell phone?  I don’t.  I just know it is very useful to me.  I am sure, however, there are people who have the same connection with the travel industry that I do with agriculture.  Branding is relative to the end-user.  Branding is also relative to the focus people place on it.  My kids can spout a laundry list of “must-have” brands that teenagers absolutely can NOT survive without.  I might not know all of these brand names, but I do know they cost this mama a pretty penny.

Think about the brands you are willing to spend a bit more money on.  Why do you open your checkbook for these products as opposed to other products where a generic suffices just fine for you?  Consumption of brands conveys something about what we value (quality, style, reputation, prestige, peer-pressure, etc).  And in essence, the people, activities, and material things we surround ourselves with are reflections of our values.  We give products logos and branding to delineate these values.  However, the same could be said for the way we spend our time and who we spend our time with.  Each carries its own “brand.”  This is why the resources in our world – people, time, things, activities – have a powerful ability to influence us.  Just like our favorite company does when they release its next best and newest.  Use the same discernment when selecting the influences in your life that are within your control.  And be selective, disciplined, and discerning in your own personal brand that you showcase to the world. There is only one of you and it is special.

Changepoints:

Study your favorite company, brand, or marketing influence and see how it correlates with the other areas of your life.

·        How do the things in your life reflect your values?  How do they complement or compete with your self-brand?

·        Who in your life do you admire for genuinely presenting themselves to the world?  How do they convey this image – or brand – to those around them?  

·        Which influences in your life could be diminished or increased to help you become the fuller version of the brand you want to show?

·        How does the freedom that comes with being authentic translate in the various part of your world?

o   What values are important to you to present to yourself and others?

o   How can you minimize messages that run contrary to them?

 

Branding forms a snapshot into the essence tied to the beliefs, mission, and values of the creator.

outSIGHTin, LLC: Creating awareness as a changepoint for improved organizational results.