Be Clear, or Be Ignored
People don’t have a memory for detail. That’s why we have calendars, address books, and police sketch artists. Our memory is so poor that we can’t recall the design details of the lowly penny. If you don’t believe me, give it a try… and this test is just about recognizing the front of the coin. I got the right answer, but not because I actually remembered the details. I figured it out using GRE test-taking tips.
Think of your brand like a penny. It has a company name (United States of America), a tagline (In God We Trust), and a logo (Lincoln’s head). This currency is about as simple and ubiquitous as you get, yet people still can’t remember it. Is your brand that simple?
Companies often try to shoehorn too much into their brand. Here are some reasons we have seen. They want as large a potential pool of customers as possible, so they try to be something to everybody. Nonprofits chase funding, leading to “mission drift.” Companies think they are too complex to be focused. Management believes that they are so interesting that customers will spend time figuring them out rather than watching SNL’s “Lazy Sunday” again.
Customers will not spend time figuring you out. They will ignore you. That’s why having an immediately recognizable brand image is essential.
But how important is it that you recall a penny’s details, as long as you know it’s a penny and that it does what it is supposed to do? I’m not talking about scratching the lottery ticket; I’m talking about buying stuff. Sure, a penny can only get you a tenth of a piece of Bazooka, but my point is that we all agree on the same meaning for a penny. It is worth one cent, and that meaning stays the same from both coasts to the Midwest, and regardless of the user’s political affiliation.
Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker would call that consistent meaning the “good idea” behind the otherwise “ambiguous” image and details of the penny. The truth is that all symbols, like Lincoln’s head—are ambiguous at their core. They only have meaning if we attach meaning to them. A symbol’s ultimate power resides in the clarity of the meaning ascribed to it.
Good branding supports your company’s meaning, providing you know what it is. Branding can’t save a company from ambiguity, but building the brand can help clarify an organization’s identity. The process can force a company to confront hard questions, such as this one: Can a random group of people agree on your brand’s one good idea, or do they need GRE test-taking tips to get figure out its meaning?
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A Penny for your Brand
Be Clear, or Be Ignored
Think of your brand like a penny. It has a company name (United States of America), a tagline (In God We Trust), and a logo (Lincoln’s head). This currency is about as simple and ubiquitous as you get, yet people still can’t remember it. Is your brand that simple?
Companies often try to shoehorn too much into their brand. Here are some reasons we have seen. They want as large a potential pool of customers as possible, so they try to be something to everybody. Nonprofits chase funding, leading to “mission drift.” Companies think they are too complex to be focused. Management believes that they are so interesting that customers will spend time figuring them out rather than watching SNL’s “Lazy Sunday” again.
Customers will not spend time figuring you out. They will ignore you. That’s why having an immediately recognizable brand image is essential.
But how important is it that you recall a penny’s details, as long as you know it’s a penny and that it does what it is supposed to do? I’m not talking about scratching the lottery ticket; I’m talking about buying stuff. Sure, a penny can only get you a tenth of a piece of Bazooka, but my point is that we all agree on the same meaning for a penny. It is worth one cent, and that meaning stays the same from both coasts to the Midwest, and regardless of the user’s political affiliation.
Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker would call that consistent meaning the “good idea” behind the otherwise “ambiguous” image and details of the penny. The truth is that all symbols, like Lincoln’s head—are ambiguous at their core. They only have meaning if we attach meaning to them. A symbol’s ultimate power resides in the clarity of the meaning ascribed to it.
Good branding supports your company’s meaning, providing you know what it is. Branding can’t save a company from ambiguity, but building the brand can help clarify an organization’s identity. The process can force a company to confront hard questions, such as this one: Can a random group of people agree on your brand’s one good idea, or do they need GRE test-taking tips to get figure out its meaning?