Delivering something consistently is at the heart of brands. I know what I get every time I show up at the Apple store. When I use my BlackBerry, I know the interface will make sense to me (and the Treo’s doesn’t). I know that the brand “Oprah Winfrey” stands for female empowerment, and personal empowerment in general. So, when considering our own personal brands, we have to remember to connect our brand to what we’re doing consistently.
McDonalds Knows
Walk into any McDonalds on the globe and you’ll see at least *some* traces of the same things. You’ll see the arches. You’ll see a counter. You’ll see fast service, inexpensive food, and choices to suit most people’s needs. (QUALITY of this food is not my point, so save the comment). It’s the same everywhere.
So when McDonalds wants to introduce something new, like pizza, for instance, they know that they can’t just put it up there without any kind of tie to the other stuff.
Extended Meaning of Your Brand
If you’re looking to add to your brand, or do something a little different with your brand, consider shifting slowly. If you’re Coke, for instance, you knew to go from having one flavor to a few flavors, to having a family of soft drinks, to then branching out into juice, flavored waters, energy drinks, and more. Coke has a competitor in every category of soft drinks. Why? Because they’re not in the soda business: they’re in the “refreshment” business.
And that’s how you have to think about your brand.
Consider what you believe the true value of your brand is, and then think just a hair larger, because I predict you’re thinking too specifically about yourself.
My Personal Example
Growing up, I always said I wanted to be a writer. I wrote all the time, but I talked more about writing than I actually did it. And part of the problem was that I saw myself as a fiction writer. That label became a noose. I couldn’t escape that sense that I had to produce a good story, and when I’d get jammed up, I’d be frozen out of doing the thing I was defining myself as being.
After 9/11, I expanded my take on writing a great deal. I devoted tons more time to blogging as my writing form of choice. As a result, I’ve written the textual equivalent of three or four books at this point, and am still going strong. I never lack for topic. And, now that I consider myself a “media maker” instead of a writer, that brand extends into video and audio.
Differentiate
Your brand can’t be a “me too” thing. There’s only one Jeff Pulver. There’s only one Robert Scoble. There’s only one Starbucks. Make your brand about what YOU do, what YOU offer, and how YOU bring value to the story.
And stick to it.
What’s YOUR Brand Say?
If I asked your universe, what would they tell me about your brand? How do you see yourself? And if you don’t feel much like a brand, talk to me about what you wish your brand DID say about you, or maybe talk about brands you like out there.