Is Your Brand Like Velveeta?

Ok, so first off let me say I am not knocking Velveeta. For years, I have been known to make a mean queso dip using that gloriously uniform hunk of cheese. It melts beautifully in broccoli cheese soup and works magic in homemade mac and cheese. And I love me some cheese…in pretty much any form.

BUT…

These days I am now more health conscious and eliminating a lot of processed foods from my diet. I am more interested in finding recipes that use natural ingredients and paying closer attention to what makes my body feel good.

I am applying these same “natural” and organic principles to attending to my brand and those of my clients.

 

whoa…how did I make the leap from Velveeta to branding? Let me explain

 

Processed cheese, really any processed food; comes out looking exactly like the one before it. It goes through a predictable series of steps or actions that lead to a particular result. It is a procedure based result that happens when something has gone through a process. It is designed for efficiency, speed, and predictability.

A Branding Process can be thought of in the same way. Predictable actions that result in a clearly defined, polished product at the end of the day. It may look something like this:

 

Brand Mission

Brand Vision

Brand Attributes

Brand Objectives

Brand Promise

Market Analysis

Brand Identity

Brand Voice

Brand Values

Brand Positioning

Brand Visibility

Brand Differentiation

Brand Management

 
Absorbing, analyzing, extracting, interpreting, synthesizing, evaluating, and implementing…all very much process oriented. Left-brainers unite!

All of those steps listed above are important, but may not be appropriate for every person and/or business. Not every brand is ready to start at Step 1 and finish at Step 25.

This is why there is so much push back around people being thought of as brands…no one likes to be put through a cookie cutter process and out pops a perfect you (what’s the fun in that anyway?)

 

But what if we changed the concept in which we thought about personal branding and personality-preneur branding as rather a framework within which to work? A looser structure that not only allows for but embraces things like:

 

Imperfection

Vulnerability

Expectations

Feelings

Emotions

Relationships

Trust

Inspiration

Experimenting

 

Concepts not so easily measured by graphs, data, and analysis; but equally important in a brand’s evolution and growth. Right-brainers unite!

A framework allows for individuality, connecting the dots, and holistic growth. It’s flexible, nimble, adaptable, and unique.

Much like you.

This is why I gig on branding so much…the beautiful mix of right brain creativity and left brain strategy that discovers and creates a resonant and memorable brand naturally and organically.

Polishing a brand with a soft cloth, care, and attention; rather than a mechanized system that molds you into something you are not.

No brand is ever perfect…which is how it should be.