Branding as an S&M activity

Madonna and I whip up a storm over the perceived differences between brands of accountant

I don’t know why I continue doing it to myself.

Could it be a deep-seated masochistic wish? And no, not the kind you and Madonna here are thinking of.

Why are small business owners continually served up the conventional thinking that to create a strong brand, one must employ the practice of branding? Why do they continue to buy into the notion that “building the brand” is a key platform for success, when all the evidence around them is clearly to the contrary? 

I’m referring to sitting through yet another well-meaning presentation by a bunch of self-styled marketing gurus, selling the same old pap dressed in a fruity suit of clothes. Admittedly, I was there only as a form of competitive market research and to be fair, much of what was said might work very well in some situations. But as always, when it came to the section on “branding”, I had to stop myself laughing on the carpet.

I see a great many very good financial planners/accountants/insurance brokers et.al in my immediate vicinity. Some are even my clients. Yet all of them do pretty much the same things within their own categories.

Why is it that even though we are told “the need to develop and communicate a true and substantive point of difference has never been more important,” the firms I see all seem to be enjoying successful, profitable businesses.

And the market shows no sign of saturation.

What happened to the magic bullet of brand differentiation? Is it possible we should revise our thinking about the perceived differences between brands of accountant – the very thing the brand pedlars would have you believe is a fundamental platform for success?

Apple are often cited as an example of a strong brand. Definitely. No argument there. But I don’t think Apple become a great brand by basing their business on the shifting sands of brand essence, brand personality and brand experience.

Apple became a great brand by making really good products for a really appreciative niche market using really great product advertising. They didn’t get people to try their products by convincing them to love the brand. They got them to love the brand by convincing them to try the product.

In my view, branding is being sold by the brand pedlars as a magic elixir. Non-acceptance of the premise calls qualifications into question – whose version of branding is correct, whose definition of a brand is right? We get the whole “brand is a promise” school of thought, countered by the “authentic, essence of your unique story.” There’s the “total experience”; the “whatever the customer thinks it is”; the “shaping the perception”; the “corporate personality”; the “emotional aftertaste” and the “more than a symbol.”

Of course, many claim it’s all of the above.

I could go on. And on. And on.

For me, they’re all very good reasons business owners should stop listening to “brand builders” and let go of the idea that a strong brand can be created with branding.

Stop building your brand and concentrate on building your business. A strong brand is simply a by-product of getting a bunch of other things right.

If you do, the brand will take care of itself. If you don’t, all the branding in the world won’t help.