I Hate Branding (But I Love It Too)
Look, I’ve been in this marketing game for 22 years. Twenty-two! I’ve seen trends come and go, fizzle and pop like cheap champagne. And let me tell you, nothing gets me more riled up than when people overcomplicate branding.
It was 1999, I was at a conference in Austin, and some hotshot consultant was going on about ‘synergistic brand ecosystems’ or whatever. I mean, come on. It’s just… yeah. Stop.
I get it. Branding’s important. But honestly, it’s not rocket science. You’re not curing cancer here. You’re selling stuff. So let’s not make it more complicated than it needs to be.
My Friend Marcus (Who’s a Genius, By the Way)
Okay, so there’s this guy, Marcus. Let’s call him Marcus because, well, that’s his name. We were grabbing coffee at this place on 5th, and he’s telling me about his new startup. He’s all nervous, sweating through his shirt, going on about how he needs a ‘comprehensive brand strategy’ before he can even think about launching.
I said, ‘Marcus, dude, chill. You’re making this way harder than it needs to be.’ He said, ‘But Sarah, what about our brand voice? Our brand values? Our brand… brand stuff?’
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But here’s the thing, Marcus. Here’s the thing I wish someone had told me when I was starting out:
Branding Is Just a Promise
That’s it. That’s the big secret. Your brand is just a promise to your customers. A promise that you’ll deliver a certain level of quality, a certain experience, a certain… vibe. It’s not some mystical, ethereal thing that only branding gurus can understand.
And you know what? People remember promises. They remember when you keep them, and they remember when you break them. So yeah, your brand is important. But it’s not some magical unicorn in the sky. It’s a promise. Keep it simple.
About three months ago, I was talking to this colleague named Dave. Dave’s a big deal in the SEO world, right? Super smart guy. And he’s telling me about this client who wanted to ‘rebrand’ because their logo was ‘outdated.’ I said, ‘Dave, is this a joke?’ He said, ‘I wish it was, Sarah. I wish it was.’
Look, I get it. Logos are important. But if your product sucks, no amount of logo redesigns or rebranding efforts are gonna save you. You can’t polish a turd, people. Focus on the product first, then worry about the logo.
But Sarah, What About Consistency?
Okay, okay. I hear you. Consistency is important. But here’s the thing: consistency isn’t about having the same font and color scheme on every single piece of marketing material. It’s about delivering the same experience, the same quality, the same… promise. Every. Single. Time.
And you know what? That’s hard. It’s way harder than designing a pretty logo or coming up with a clever tagline. But it’s what separates the good brands from the great ones.
I remember this one time, back in 2005, I was working with this client. Let’s call them TechCorp, because that’s what they were called. They wanted to be the ‘innovative leader’ in their industry. So we came up with this big, fancy campaign. It was gonna be huge. But then, their customer service was terrible. Like, worse than a root canal terrible.
I said, ‘Guys, you can’t be the innovative leader if your customer service is stuck in the Stone Age.’ They didn’t listen. And guess what? Their big, fancy campaign flopped. Because you can’t promise innovation and deliver mediocrity. It just doesn’t work that way.
So What Should You Do?
First, focus on your product. Make sure it’s awesome. Like, really awesome. Like, ‘I-would-recommend-this-to-my-mom’ awesome. Because if your product isn’t great, nothing else matters.
Second, figure out what makes you different. What’s your unique selling proposition? What’s that one thing that sets you apart from everyone else? And I’m not talking about some vague, generic thing like ‘we care about our customers.’ Everyone says that. Be specific. Be real.
And third, deliver on your promise. Every. Single. Time. That means consistent quality, consistent experience, consistent… everything. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way to build a brand that actually means something.
Oh, and one more thing. If you’re gonna talk the talk, you better walk the walk. That means being transparent, being honest, and owning up to your mistakes. Because in today’s world, people can see right through the BS. And if you’re not genuine, they’re gonna call you out on it. Fast.
A Quick Digression: Las Vegas Schools Education News
Speaking of transparency, I was reading this article the other day on Las Vegas schools education news. It was about this school that was doing some really innovative stuff with their curriculum. And you know what? They were totally upfront about the challenges they were facing. They didn’t try to hide behind some polished, perfect image. They were real. And guess what? People respected them for it.
So yeah, that’s my take on branding. It’s not rocket science. It’s not some mystical, ethereal thing. It’s just a promise. A promise that you deliver on, day in and day out. So stop overcomplicating it. Focus on what really matters. And for the love of all that is holy, make sure your customer service isn’t worse than a root canal.
Anyway, that’s my rant for the day. I’m gonna go drink some coffee and maybe write a strongly worded email to someone who deserves it. Until next time, folks.
About the Author: Sarah Johnson is a senior magazine editor with 22 years of experience in the marketing industry. She’s worked with big names, small names, and everything in between. She’s also a firm believer in keeping it real, even when it’s not pretty. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her drinking coffee, complaining about bad design, or trying to explain to her cat why he can’t have more treats.
