• Overheard in the Brains on Firesphere…

    Posted on February 22nd, 2008 by and currently 7 commenting.

    Yesterday afternoon we all huddled together on the third floor, opened some beer and wine and had our 2008 kick-off meeting. It was a great Kool-Aid drinking time to talk about who we are, what we stand for and set some goals for this year to practice what we preach.
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    Here are my favorite sound bytes from the meeting:

    • The bigger the dream, the easier it is for others to see.
    • When it comes to creating powerful identities that become movements, it’s not about the ‘what,’ it’s about the ‘who.’
    • One thing that takes a lot of courage is being vulnerable.
    • It’s important that we are evidence of our own convictions.
  • http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress Scott White

    The “who” is important no doubt. But the “what” is equally important. What your brand identity is will dictate who you are.

    Apple=creative
    Nike=performance
    Volvo=safety

    I never want someone making a brand image for me. I want them to want me the way I am. So “what” your brand identity is…well it’s everything isn’t it.

    But I ain’t drinking your kool-aid, matter of fact drinking any kool-aid is pretty limiting when you think about it.

    Thoughts from a branding guy.

  • http://www.brainsonfire.com Joe

    I don’t think what spike was saying is that “who” defines the consumer at all.

    …that become movements

    No one is making a brand image for anyone. It’s different from person to person, but when an identity becomes a movement it becomes a “who”. Who are the people that love you. Who are the people that are passionate about you. Who are the people that are spreading the word about you. Apple, Nike, and Volvo all have their identities and they all represent what you say, but it goes beyond that into the realm of the people that are talking about it. Then it’s a who.

    A brand identity is one thing. A powerful brand identity is another that becomes a movement is another. I’ve seen it first hand with Rage Against the Haze. As soon as the teens take hold of RAGE it becomes what they say it is, and it becomes a who. We don’t define who they are but by creating something that someone can take ownership of they make it who they are on their own.

    I think that’s what spike was trying to say.

  • http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress Scott White

    I agree with you Joe. But you can’t start a “movement” without a what, and that what is a solid brand identity and positioning. That’s very important. Otherwise your customers will define who you are and often times that’s bad.

    I can’t tell you how many prospects I’ve visited who have said we want to be perceived this way but our clients and prospects see us that way. That gap is the biggest problem I see in branding.

    So I think you need them both…

  • http://orangejack.com Rob Williams

    Wait, you had beer, wine, AND kool-aid? Nice.

    I’ve learned a lot about movements from being a part of a global organization focused on this. Movements are organic, not corporate. Movements are indeed about the “who” more than the “what”. However, the “what” is what gives the movement its momentum. Relationships are at the heart of a movement but it takes a common goal — a shared vision that allows it to be flexible enough to be a movement.

    And this can be quite difficult as a movement grows. Structure is needed but too much is a constraint. Relationships can become strained when the “what” takes on various shapes.

    Movements are delicate. But movements are powerful.

  • http://brandautopsy.typepad.com johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)

    my take on this is simply …

    The WHAT makes the initial connection (between customer and company). The WHO sustains the connection and turns it into a movement (sustained people-powered success).

  • http://brainsonfire.com Jennifer

    Ya know… I think one of my favorite quotes from Thursday’s meeting (and one that says a lot about the comments discussion here) is: “We live ‘in progress.’”

    Nothing is ever done, or decided or defined once and for all. Is it the what? Yup. Is it the who? Yup. Do those things change over time? Yup. Do the prominence of their roles evolve throughout the course of the relationship? Yup. Will we (the “marketers” or “branders” or whatevers of the world) ever stop thinking of the next way to connect, to build, to inspire (and how best to define it)? Nope.

    We live ‘in progress.’

  • http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress Scott White

    I like it…In progress. Much better than a “movement”. “Movement” just sounds like you’re trying too hard to call it something else. In progress is cool. Trademark it.