So, you have your brand concept and are eager to roll it out. Congratulations.
But not so fast.
Your brand must be put to the test. You must challenge all assumptions you have made. We call this “holding your brand up to the mirror.”
It is very easy to get caught up in a brand that is more aspirational than credible. An effective brand must be authentic, sincere, honest, and believable. If you charge ahead and pretend to be something you are not, you are asking for trouble.
We saw this during the Dot Com Era. Many tech start-ups, heady and giddy with millions of venture capital investments in their pockets, actually believed the fantasies they had created around their businesses. When trying to pitch the media to promote these companies, the reporter always asked: “Where is your product?” and “Who are your customers.”
This would expose the harsh reality that these companies were trying to build their businesses and brands on an idea. The marketplace had the ultimate say, and these companies deservedly failed.
So the point is this: be who you are and own it.
Once you come to terms with your unvarnished brand, it is time to bring it to life. You do this by showing and not telling. If you are environmentally friendly, then demonstrate it. If you are all about protecting stray dogs, you better have operations in place that do just that. If you tout diversity, you better be able to show that in your boardroom and workforce – not just some virtue-signaling advertisement.
The public will sniff out the B.S., and you will have ruined your reputation.
