Art Butcher of International Business Academies Limited (a.k.a. IBAL) asked me to write a post to share on the IBAL’s new website. While that project is coming together I thought I would share the post here as well:
Everyone has heard of the 3 R’s of education: “Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic”, but have you heard of the 3 R’s of branding? They are Recognition, Reputation and Reaction.
Recognition: We want our products to be recognized. We want the hard work that goes into packaging our products and services, the money we spend on advertising, and all the planning we do in marketing, to benefit our brand, not the competition’s. This is why logos are important. This is why we craft tag lines and slogans. This is why Coke is so fussy about the exact shade and hue of red in their packaging. This is why McDonald’s is so aggressive about controlling the use of “Mc____” wherever it can.
Reputation: In the end your branding is a suggestion that your company makes about its relevance and meaning, and it is your customers, prospects and partners who get to decide what your brand truly means to them. You can be well recognized, but if your reputation is bad the recognition can hurt you. On the other hand, if your product is undistinguished from your competition, a well-recognized brand alone may not be helping you as much as you think. How often have you sneezed, asked for a Kleenex, and been handed a Puff? Did you notice the difference? Did you care? Recognition is naturally associated with reputation, but the reputation is strongest when it encompasses a unique value or serves the needs of a particular niche.
Reaction: This is where the money is made, or lost. You want your brand to provoke a positive reaction, to get people to choose your product over the competition’s. You want a reaction so positive and strong that it can beat a sale price on a similar item or have a customer choose your service over another solution. But a negative reaction can be brutal. Whether you are being ignored on the shelf, or actively boycotted, a negative reaction cycle can be ruinous to your business.
So how do you tune your branding to get the reaction you want? Well the magic won’t happen if the recognition and reputation aren’t right. You have to take Recognition beyond merely locating yourself in an industry or slapping a logo on your business card. You have to approach Reputation in a mindful way – don’t just let it happen, participate! Align your values with the expectation you set for your brand. Know the boundaries of your message and the expectations you are setting with your brand promises. Be prepared to walk your talk and fix it when you stumble. You are in the business of developing and maintaining trust.
Here a few more R’s for you: Repetition, Reinforcement and Rigor: Consistent and attentive behavior, clearly communicated value, and a track record of disciplined delivery will support the 3 R’s of Branding and will get you seeing the Reactions the matter!
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K.I.S.S., Mr. Einstein, but why?
When it comes to writing, everyone’s favorite acronym is K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Stupid. Sage advice, but have you ever asked why? Well here’s another acronym for you: S.I.S. – Simple Ideas Succeed.
I often work with technology companies where the product or service is likely to be anything but simple. The desire to explain and build logical chains from features to benefits often eclipses the ability for an idea to get attention. Think about Albert Einstein for a second. Chances are E = mc2 comes to mind before the words “Theory of Relativity” jump into your head. And unless you happen to be a physicist your thoughts are more likely to run to an image of the frazzled-haired genius and not to the concept of energy-mass equivalence.
Does E = mc2 really tell me anything about physics or the nature of the universe? Not really. Not on its own. Not to the uninitiated, or at least not without a good hour spent watching a PBS special, but it is has become a familiar surrogate for a complex idea. The symbol spreads farther and more easily than the underlying complex theory. Thus I give you the sibling acronym, part 2: S.I.S. – Symbols for (complex) Ideas Spread.
Yes, I’m torturing an acronym, but if you want your idea to spread you’ve got to make it portable, and simple ideas are easier to carry around. If the idea can’t be easily reduced to a simple phrase, then roll up your sleeves and keep trying. Look for a surrogate, or an icon that can be invested with meaning. You’ve got to do the work so that the job of spreading your idea, the job you are asking your customers, partners and prospects to do for you, is as easy as possible. That leads to the final sibling acronym for the day: S.I.S. – Simplicity Isn’t Simple.