I just finished listening to Aaron Copeland’s “Hoe-Down” which is the background music for the commercial “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.”  It is a great song and lots of fun.  But, as these types of things tend to do, it got me to thinking about business, and specifically branding.

Usually the prevalent message found in college classrooms discussing marketing is that you “Must create a brand.”  I am here to tell you that while this is true to some degree, it should not be the primary focus but rather the by-product.

Why?

Well, let’s look at the brands that we have all been exposed to on a regular basis.  What comes to mind?

So, after giving you some great examples of how companies are branding themselves, why do I still say that branding should be a by-product not a focus?

Well, let me ask you this question.  How much do you think you would recognize these brands if they had not spent millions of dollars on ad campaigns?  Would you be able to chime in at precisely the right moment for the “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner song?” (you know you did it) if it hadn’t been burned into your mind by 100s of 1,000s of repetitions?  What about the Budweiser frogs?  Would you be able to recite the entire commercial if you hadn’t seen it so many times?

Of course not.  And neither could your customers.

So, what does that mean for you?  Well, not to take away from the graphic designers out there, but the first thing to remember is that while a logo is important, a logo is not the most important part of a brand.  Do you remember the logo for your dentist or local florist?  What about the local coffee shop?  If you do, good for you, you are attentive.  But if you don’t, that’s okay.  Neither do 98.7% of their other customers.  Are you less likely to shop at any of these places because you can’t remember what their logo looks like?  Probably not.

But you are less likely to shop at these places if you have received poor service, poor product, etc.  So, what does that mean in regards to branding?

Your WHOLE business is your brand.

From the sign out front to the empty toilet paper holder in the ladies bathroom, it all matters to your customers.  If the first thing that comes to mind when your customers think of you is, “They have great food, but the bathroom always has this wierd smell…” then your brand is tainted.  If your customers love your products, but your billing process is a pain, your brand is tainted.

I like to think of branding as a balancing act between the images such as the logo, the flyers, the signs, etc and between the actual experience.  You need to have the logos and the signs so that people will take you seriously, but all the expensive logos and signs in the world won’t save you if your receptionist has a bad attitude that turns your customers away.

So how do you create a brand that consists of your whole business?  One thing that I suggest is that you are constantly looking at ways to improve the systems in your business.  (And if you are getting a blank and confused look on your face when I mention systems, I would start by reading Michael Gerber’s book “The E-Myth.”) As Matt and I like to say, business is about growth and continual change.  So if you notice that at about 3:35pm each day you are getting complaints that the toilet paper holder in the ladies bathroom is empty, maybe you should put a system in place that tells your employees to check the ladies bathroom at 3:25 pm every day and make sure that there are plenty of toilet paper and paper towels.

Another way to do this is to get customer feedback on a consistent basis.  And then, more importantly, once you have the feedback do something about it!  I love the way my local Starbuck’s has taken this one step further.  Every time I go in there I see a little chalk board saying, “Things we are working on this week.”  It then lists 3-4 items that they have received feedback on from customers and that they are working to improve.  What this does is it shows your customers that there feedback is important to you.

And I don’t know about you, but I would much rather be remembered for my exceptional service and my wonderful product than for my 2×2 inch logo in the corner of my stationery.