I’m a big believer in having a brand belief or idea, rather than a ‘brand strategy’. Having looked at a lot of military history, for example, a lot of planning and preparation goes into being successful, but adapting and flowing with the events as they happened was what led to victory or defeat (There are some good examples quoted in Blink for reference).
Or for the non-military, the amazing success of Valentino Rossi has come partly from his talent as a test rider to develop motorcycles to win races (most notably when he switched to the unperforming Yamaha from Honda and immediately started winning), but also because he’s one of the very best at adapting to the changes in performance as tyres wear out during a race and fuel loads lighten. He’s also able to transfer his skills to driving rally cars, and is still in with a chance of a Formula One drive despite the fact he’ll be approaching his mid-30s by the time his motorcycle career ends.
So how to effectively sum up a brand belief or idea?
It could be a sentence, a paragraph, or even something like a photo or diagram. In this case, I’d just had a good breakfast meeting to discuss a future project when I put on a CD in the car, and realised how much the song I was listening to was aligned to many of my thoughts about my businesses – I sent a link to Youtube over with my suggestions to the project, and it seems like people got it straight away. And that was far more effective than writing hundreds of words in a 50-page document.
The song is ‘The Cause’ byAmerican punk band NOFX, and if you’re not a fan of loud punk rock, then take a look at the lyrics:
It isn’t for the money, no it isn’t for the fun
it’s a plan, a scam, a diagram
it’s for the benefit of everyone
you gotta have a little respect
subterranean ideals
traditional neglect
reflect on how you think it would make you feel
The cause – we’re just doing it for the cause
no it isn’t for the fortune, it isn’t for the fame
It’s a scheme, dream, a barterine
we want everyone to think the same
because you know what you feel is right
and you feel what you can’t ignore
and you try so hard to point the blame
ashamed – what do we do this for?
The cause – we’re just doing it for the cause
the cause – we’re just doing it for the cause
the cause – we’re just doing it for the cause
the cause – we’re just doing it for the cause
Job done, really.