What do you do?
It’s a question that bounces back and forth at cocktail parties, breweries and work events. There are a couple of ways to answer: a short form, couple-of-word answer, or go in-depth. In branding, I always encourage the former. Hit them with the Is-Does. What a brand product Is and what it does.
Brands communicators don’t always follow this advice. They think they need to sell and explain by the pound or by the word. It can leave audiences confused and/or fatigued. Good creative directors know this. They tell a simple story with a beginning, middle and end. A so-called narrative. Problem is, that narrative isn’t often based upon brand strategy. (Post for another time.)
So back to simple. Was it Benjamin Franklin who said (I paraphrase) “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter?”
Marketing is made simple through brand strategy. It’s objective driven. It provides proof of value. It’s measurable. And it leaves consumers with a gravity or gravitas constructed on care-abouts and good-ats. It is the oppo of benefit shoveling, a meme I like to share which is the bane of marketers worldwide.
Brand strategy, it’s what’s for dinner.
Peace
