Your brand is more valuable than the product or service you sell.
Want proof?
Think of your favorite famous person. (Usually, this is a movie star or athlete, but it doesn’t have to be.)
If they came out with their own t-shirt line, how much more likely are you to buy their clothes than run-of-the-mill Hanes?
What if the same person came out with their own air freshener? How much more likely are you to buy it over Febreze?
What if they came out with a body wash, candle, car edition, or book?
See? When people fall in love with your brand, it doesn’t matter what you sell.
So, what makes a strong brand?
In part, strong brands are defined by what they stand against; as much, if not more, than what they stand for.
So, what do you stand against?
On the surface, you’ll immediately think of good-verses-bad examples. For instance:
For fairness –> Against injustice
For honesty –> Against dishonesty
For kindness –> Against rudeness
But these kinds of juxtapositions, while superior to average corporate speak, are flat and one dimensional. You can do better than this.
To add intrigue and pull people into your brand, try using some dualities.
Dualities are two opposite or competing ideas that have equal merit. Here are some examples with movie references:
Freedom vs. Safety (Minority Report)
Progress vs. Preservation (Toy Story 3)
Individuality vs. Community (Snowpiercer)
Privacy vs. Transparency (The 100)
Each of those movie examples could have taken a stand for the opposite quality, and it would have been just as interesting.
That’s because with dualities there are no wrong answers, only preferences.
Preferences are the cornerstones of interesting personalities.
And strong, interesting, brand personalities magnetically draw people to you. Making you their preferred option for whatever it is you sell.
So, what do you stand against?
Choose some dualities, draw some lines in the sand, and your brand will be far better than average corporate speak.
– Zac Smith, VC
