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[ JUNE 2007]
10 Ideas for Building a Kick-Ass Brand!
by Michel Hogan
As presented to the Churchill Club. Melbourne, Australia
In no particular order…
# 1 – Brand is much more than your
logo. Think about your whole company as being part of your
brand – all the way down to how you answer the phone,
help your customers, hire employees, ship your products etc.
Like the devil – brand is in the details!
# 2 – It is almost impossible to change
your brand downstream,
so make sure you start the way you mean to continue. Do it on purpose, don’t
let your brand be something you discover by accident.
# 3 – Be authentic. Just like it
is hard to pretend to be someone you are not, it is impossible
for a brand to pretend to be something your company isn’t.
Take the time to understand what is true.
# 4 – Brands are defined by people.
Your employees are on the frontlines of how your brand
is seen by your customers (and other stakeholders). What
they see is fundamental to either building or destroying
your brand.
# 5 – Sing one song. If everyone
inside the company is saying something different, to each
other or even worse, to your customers, then it is impossible
for people to have any idea what your brand stands for.
Get the story straight and stick to it – consistency
matters.
# 6 – Don’t confuse who you
are with what you do. Enduring brands stand the test of
time and while products and services can will and should
change, the underlying brand ideal stays constant.
# 7 – Be passionate. No one will
care if you don’t and all great brands share passion
for something at their core.
# 8 – Know who you are talking to.
Without someone at the receiving end brands are a bit like
the party that no one comes to. Make sure you know who
your customers are and why they chose you.
# 9 – It’s a commitment…not
a campaign. Strong brands cannot be bought. They take time
to develop, take root and grow. Perhaps one of the most
overlooked principles of brand is patience.
AND # 10 - Do what you say you are going to do.
Side-to-side, products-to-people. If you can’t do
it, don’t say it. Period. If you do say it, live
it.
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