Recently I wrote a blog post about “the Ever Changing Brand.“ While I *think* I know a lot about branding, I am “amused” by the so-called branding experts showing up at social media events and claiming to be the end-all-know-all of everything social media.
I did a post about branding just to fit in. It’s NOT who I am, nor what this blog is about. For that I apologize.
Truth be told, I don’t WANT to be known as a branding expert anymore than I want to be known as a social media expert. I am first and foremost a content publisher, and I’m happy with that. While my “real job” is designing and programming sites in HTML, CSS and PHP/MySQL… I like the creation process the most.
The fact that I may, in fact, be a branding expert, or a social media expert, takes second fiddle to the fact that I just kind of do what I do. I’m not trying to impress a crowd of people about my elite skills, or my latest page ranking. My proof is in my Adsense earning, which I am happy to tell people the baseline number any time.
There was a post on a site recently that mentioned a bunch of Des Moines people who are “memorable.” I don’t buy into memorable. I’m not about to have our company dress up as a bunch of Pirates on The Galleon at Adventureland yelling “ARRRRR! Host your site at Captain Jack’s, we’ll treat you like valuable treasure… ARRRRR!”
Branding is not a cheap gimmick where you dress up in a pirate outfit, a suit of armor, etc. And what does a “trick” give you besides being known as “that guy.”
I’d rather be memorable for my RESULTS than a cheap marketing gimmick.
Case in point, the company I work for is known for high search engine rankings. We even publish our rankings on our web site. No gimmicks, no playing dress-up, no weird “memorable” clothing or bodily adornments.
Want to be memorable? Have proven results.
And as Joel Comm says “Do Good Things.”
I do like the point of your post. Being “Branding Experts” is something that a lot of companies hang their hats on these days. Am I an expert? To the clients that I do branding for, sure. To others I’m a social media guy. To others I’m a graphic designer. Heck, to others, I’m a photographer… (maybe I need a branding lesson)
Brand is all in the perception of the public (the target audience). Starbucks “brand” means one thing to me that I’m sure means another to someone in Seattle or St. Louis. It’s when you start judging other brands based on your own perception where missteps are taken. Not everyone’s target market is looking for the gimmick or the “Off-the-wall” scheme to garner attention. Your post addresses that perfectly.
The advocacy you provide for those doing good, honest, meaningful work out there does not go unappreciated.
Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
Good points. Companies are finding out it’s become increasingly harder to control your brand anyway.