“Brand” = “Choices”

"Branding" is one of those terms that's shrouded in a bit of mystery.

Industry people (and a decent amount of CEOs) speak of it with reverence and in semi-hushed tones. 

But for most, it's just an ambiguous term from a determinedly vague industry that conjures up varying levels of confusion or indifference ("So, it's a logo?")

But fear not, I can demystify this vexing, perplexing, and wholly irrelevant-for-most-of-you idea in one simple sentence:

Branding = the experience created by every choice you or your company makes.

That's it. It's really that simple.

Let's break it down like this:

1. Every company's baseline goal (hopefully) is to deliver the best possible value for their customer so more customers come back to them and they make more money.

2. Generally speaking, every company has their own way of operating - both internally and externally.

3. Every single thing your company chooses to do or not to do will automatically result in this thing called "a brand".

4. That brand = the experience (or expectation) anyone that interacts with your company has, based on the choices you made.

(I feel like splitting up 3 and 4 wasn't necessary. But hey, that was a choice.)

• If you find that a brand has a better product, that's the result of choices the company made

• If you see a brand has better service, that's the result of choices the company made.

• If a brand seems to retain employees better than others, it's because of the choices they made.

It's not very complicated.

If you want to know what makes your brand unique, look at the choices you make - especially vis a vis others in your industry.

Ask yourself: 

• What do others in the industry do that I/we personally feel is either unnecessary or unacceptable for delivering the best value? 

• What do I/we believe is the best way of doing business?

• What specific actions do I/do we take to ensure that happens?

I've seen these decisions play out across the many hundreds of brands I've worked with over the years.

The software company that chooses to focus on specific industries while the competition tries one-size-fits all.

The healthcare company that chooses to triple down on its employees' wellbeing and maintain a lower turnover rate than everyone else.

The brand narrative/messaging guy that chooses to maintain a garbage-looking website. For reasons, of course.

Btw, the same thing applies to people as well. Every person has a brand, whether they like it or not - and it's the result of the choices they make.

So do I end with a question like "what do you personally choose to do in your business, career, or personal life that others might not?"

A generic "well there you have it" type of ending?

Not sure what’s better for the brand, but it’s definitely a choice to make.