Brand Stories

September 24, 2007 · Comments

apple biter Brands aren’t about the words and images a company gives us as ways of understanding their product and its values. That’s just what people WISH brands were about. What brands “really” mean are the stories we attach to them. And that’s what I was thinking about today. I was thinking about my brand, and I was wondering what people thought about me. Am I considered reliable? Am I considered innovative? What’s the word or words that sum me up if you were telling a story about brand to someone else?

From here, I thought about brands and MY stories about them. Here are some samples:

  • L.L. Bean- Best return policy ever. Killer service.
  • Apple – Clean design. Easy to use.
  • Saturn- No-nonsense. No haggle pricing. Reliable.
  • Old Navy- I call them “Garanimals” for adults.
  • Robert Scoble- A trusted voice in the Valley.
  • Eric Rice – Always 3 steps ahead and challenging me.
  • Bre Pettis- Does scary new things and shares how at the same time.
  • PodCamp- Brings social media people together with low attitude drag.
  • YOU – Show me what else I don’t know.

Your Brand Story

If you were to tell me YOUR brand story, what someone said about you when you’re not around, what do you think it would be? Be kind to yourself, and positive. Think not of what you HOPE they’d say, but what they’d likely say. If you’re willing, share it in the comments section. It won’t seem like bragging, and it will be something we can talk from.

Now, step 2 of the thought: what do you WISH people would say about your brand? Is there a way to bridge what you imagine they do say to what you wish they would say?

I’ll share mine too, after a few of you comment.

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Photo credit, chaelion

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  • Chris,

    Great question. Much like, what would people say at your funeral? Although in that case, it would be about your personality and habits, and less about your business or professional brand.

    So, here's my first real comment. I think that people would first ask: "In what context?" If other folks are like me, they would first need to know what context, or domain, the question was asked.

    For example, I'm pretty well known in the usability and UX world. Many folks there would probably say that I've been around for a while and that I write some good stuff. Almost for sure they would mention http://WebWord.com -- My usability blog (over 9 years old, wink wink).

    I'm also known in the internet marketing world as one of The Rhodes Brothers. In that world, I've been "around" for about 1 year. In that realm, I've created more than 20 products in less than a year. I'd guess that people would say "high quality" and "creator of many products" -- I think.

    ~ John
  • OK... I'll jump in and be among the first to comment (kinda scarry)...

    RobSuarez - Creativity Evangelist and "New Challenge" Junkie.

    Tell me there's something I "can't do" - and I'm all over it!
  • Seth @ The Obstructionist: A writer publishing short bits of fiction and experiments in prose. An attention to the art of letters rarely seen in the blogosphere.
  • can being a cranky old fart be considered a brand?

    :)
  • Hmm...

    Sam Randall - on a journey that inspires others with every step.

    I hope it does anyway. :)
  • google search that hits our blog = acdsee Connie

    another google search = Connie and Heidi

    I am branded in two ways - w/ a corp. & w/ my sister

    my wish? acdsee Connie, Friend, Mentor
  • Jeff Glasson
    I feel like I'm still in the early stages of building my brand, and I'm learning an incredible amout about it not only here but from others in the S.M. community. I think at the current momment I would be considered a Jack-of-all-Trades and/or "Switzerland." The later, because I tend to be a very level-headed individual who is typically in the middle of things seeing both sides to the coin. For those who know me (and if you don't, ping me on FB!) I'm often the Ying to your Yang...!
  • My Brand/Likely: Chip on shoulder, ethics driven, young and ambitious

    My Brand/Wish: "I want to hire that girl!"
  • When I got back from vacation on Saturday, I finally got a chance to look at my Google alerts & technorati stuff from the past week, and I did see how one non-EBSQ member characterized our site: ugly site with great content. And you know what? I'll take it. It's easy to make a site pretty. (and hopefully our site will be a lot prettier/intuitive when we wrap up our recode in the next few months). But great content and great community--those are things that don't come easy, and we feel darn blessed to have them.

    Hard to define my personal brand because as a co-founder and entrepreneur my identity is totally wrapped up in what I do. I take criticism of my company personally. But I would say folks would say I am a geek girl standing at the fringes and wanting to play ball with the big kids.

    My brand wish? I want EBSQ to be *the* place folks come to buy art direct from the artist and the cool place for artists to hang out. I want what I'm doing to make a difference. And maybe once all that's been accomplished, I want a little recognition for having made it through the dip.
  • Chris,
    I hope that I'm allowed 2 comments? please?
    I have another saying about myself:
    "work tends to find me"

    So I'm pleased to delegate it to others & get them engaged! It's like Chris' 'ideas with handles' idea. I tend to pass opportunities sent my way off to others. As a result my sister not only started a business but I have her blogging too! :)http://solutionsbyheidi.com/blog/
  • I have to challenge you, Chris, it's my job. ;)

    One flipside to this, especially from the perspective of being a futurist-type, is when you are perceived as being many steps ahead, it's easy to get typecast, and then, a good amount of your efforts have to be spent helping people un-learn. That alone can alter your behavior.

    For example, it's so easy for people to ask me about Second Life, like it's all I'm about (even though my experience in SL 2-3 years, it's just a fraction of what I do) and so I spend time going out of my way to focus on all the other things in that market, including gaming, just to shake the typecast.

    Luckily, we have tools like the Twitter/Pownce/Jaiku chatrooms and the profile stalking of Facebook so we can watch someone evolve over time. Even in conferences, I've found that videoblogger comrades are DEEPLY into gaming and game design. I had no idea.

    As each year passes, I wonder if in fact, the person is the operating system, always in need of upgrades.
  • Reminds me of the old Arthur Dudley movie. He played an ad exec who decided to religiously tell the truth, to great hilarity. One example:

    "Volvo: Boxy, but safe."

    A *brutal* truth in advertising policy. Hmmm - I wonder if it would work for productivity consultants... :-)
  • Wow. I really love what lots of you have written. I hadn't considered the question to be scary or to perhaps put someone's thoughts out there on a bare limb. But I see it, and I also feel grateful that you trusted this crowd to be kind and not thrash your ideas here.

    @Eric Rice- completely so. You're right. Sometimes, we fall into the "branded for what people perceive, or for what we were" trap. Good point to consider. Hell, I get that in lots of weird ways. Whatever I'm passionate about is not perpetual, so when I see someone after a year, if they've not been following my media, I'll often have to re-frame who I am for a while before they shake off that "old" me.

    Interesting. Have any of us (like Eric) rebranded? What did you go "from," and what are you considered now? Was that hard?
  • Another great question!

    Guess I think people would think of me still as an IT problem solver. Sometimes a commenter with ideas of my own.

    I'd love to think of me as a communicator, a facilitator of communiations and a teacher.

    I'm not interested in being a leader much, but really get a kick out of helping people learn something new or make use of something that eludes them. That was really one of the big things that got me thinking of leaving corporate - and eventually did.
  • This reminds me of an exercise Dr. Robert Brooks asks parents to do- How would you like to have your kids describe you? (One parent chose "calm") and then Hhow do you think they see you? (Let's just say it was close to the opposite). He then recommends not only do you ask your kids to find how far reality and fantasy differ, but that you make the changes in yourself to get to how you want to be seen.
    Brand stories for parents.

    In order to make a brand story or change the story, you have to ask those hard questions and try to be objective about yourself. This is not always easy. You also have to have frieds who are willing to tell you the unvarnished truth, if there is asuc a thing, about your brand.

    And everyone you meet will have a different story to tell about your personal brand, based on experience.

    I want mine to be about integrity and honesty and caring. I hope that's true to some or most, but I know to others it may be abrasive or argumentative or unyielding. And doesn't it all come down to perception in the moment, and through which set of lenses we are currently viewing the world?

    The more I learn about my friends and their backgrounds, the better I can see the world through their lenses, and understand their world view. And hopefully, over time, I'll get better at communicating to individuals using language and metaphors that will resonate with them on a deeper level.
  • Michael Bailey always told me exactly what he thought, without trying to play me or spare my feelings. I always knew that if I wanted the truth I could ask him.

    I did notice that not too many people took him up on his ability to share his mind, as they were more comfortable seeking out others who made them feel good about themselves; unless they really have a dose of reality, the conversations were mostly about the weather and such.

    Of course, he also had a way of seeing everything 12-steps ahead of the game, so in times when people were just getting used to a new idea, his take on things usually made people feel uncomfortably stupid, even though I'm sure that wasn't his intention.

    Whatever the case, he'll be missed - pass the potatoes please.
  • I know some of what people say by reading the iTunes reviews of Gardenfork:

    'Down to earth' and pragmatic are a recurring theme. Funny is another, though i hadn't expected that one.
  • Steve Garfield: Honest and direct. People trust him.
  • yeah, branding is always 'what have you done for me lately' in some ways that's good, it encourages new products and updates but of course you also end up with new-coke and playstation 3 haha!
  • Kim
    OMG! When we were speaking earlier today and you mentioned not being able to dress yourself appropriately on Second Life, I almost mentioned Garanimals . . . and here you have Garanimals in this posting! Hilarious. You have to be old enough to even remember what those were.
  • People see my real brand as smart, reliable, and willing to learn and adapt.

    My desired brand associations are all the above, plus confidence (which you just blogged about). That is my biggest hurdle.

    I am currently maintaining a tech blog called Articulate Digits. It is for a social media course taught by Alex de Carvalho at the University of Miami, and is only one of two courses taught in the country right now. I would appreciate your comments!
  • Erica Ortiz: Determined, talented, hard-working drag racer who navigated the sport with little outside help and worked towards inspiring other young women to achieve their dreams.

    Horsepower & Heels: Women crossing boundaries into the non-traditional sports and beyond...and not being afraid to do it with class and femininity.
  • What people probably say about Adept Media, the company I work for, behind it's back, is probably...

    Adept Media : So Strong on Design, So strong on Concepts, bringing a totally fresh prespective to Communications and Marketing solutions, Althoght, I wish they had the bandwidth to handle my brand, because they're always soo overworked that they've been saying NO to me, although I work for Microsoft !!
    But i respect them for that, they're not in it for the money and know where to draw the line when it comes to servicing clients. They have the courage to say no to business, which i respect highly.
  • One of the people I work with/for recently gave me this recommendation on LinkedIN:

    "Ed Healy is a powerhouse. He has consistently produced excellent results in ad sales for my quarterly magazine, and he's proven himself in project management for a Web site launch. He drives for results with amazing energy and focus. Ed works hard, is full of both expertise and creative solutions (while on a limited budget!), and is ludicrously well-connected. An asset to any project, and definitely someone who knows how to get things done."

    I was speechless. I have never had someone say such things about me before.
  • Okay, you asked for it. Let me see if I can give this a shot. My brand?

    Oh hell, I thought I had it. OMG. Ok, here it is: the guy who teaches people how to deal with and overcome adversity to achieve the impossible.

    How's that? Too bland? Open to suggestions.
  • My Brand/Likely: Chip on shoulder, ethics driven, young and ambitious

    My Brand/Wish: "I want to hire that girl!"
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