Be Good.

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At What’s The Idea?, brand strategy is about the hunt for top customer care-abouts and brand good-ats. Once determined, the list needs to be winnowed down to three. I call these proof planks — planks that support the brand claim.   

One of my clients, a software company, does some very important work recruiting women into coding. More importantly, the company works to remove the toxic bro culture in a number of technology pockets. Not just talking about it, but putting their money where their mouths are.  There is no sane person the on the planet that could argue with a more egalitarian environment for women, so it would seem this would be a good and differentiated care-about.

I could have recommended it as plank in the brand strategy but chose not to.  You see, it is not an endemic part of what they do. It makes them look good as a company, it makes them a preferred software company, but it’s not a devout product of service value.  It’s topical, yes. It would have played well in today’s world…but is it a brand positioning point? 

Continue the good work. Publicize it. Hell, make it a core belief. But don’t load it up, as some might, as an “intentional” marketing value.  Be intentional, be good. Just don’t brand as such.  

Peace.