August 2, 2006
| Tate Linden
Our new friend Mike posted this to his blog a couple days ago:
"Tate, perhaps you can explain why my company is inflicting this sort of thing upon us. Here's an excerpt from the "branding guide":
Through extensive research, we learned that customers want to do business with a company that has knowledge, that uses its knowledge and experience in innovative ways, and that has a commitment to achieving improved clinical and financial outcomes for its customers. This insight underscores the appropriateness of our brand position. We measure outcomes and deliver results."
Thanks for the link and for suggesting that I could fathom why your company would inflict this upon you. Personally I believe that your branding team has been overrun by focus-group fanatics.
Here's how I translate the text you posted:
We've spent a boatload of money trying to figure out what our average client wants, and they've told us that they like people who know stuff and do stuff. Good stuff, mostly. Since we know stuff and do good stuff (as proven by how well we do at measuring our own performance) and tell people that we know stuff and do stuff - we must be doing this branding thing right.
Marketing-babble... And exactly the same as every other company in your industry. Where's the daring statement? Where's the difference? Where's the unexpected?
...
Shouldn't brands define what's different about you? (Yeah, they did say they were innovative - but everyone else says that too... and there's no proof here.) If you're just gonna be the same as everyone else there's no reason to have a brand at all. Might as well be generic and save some dough.
I suppose this isn't the sort of response you were hoping for... Here's to hoping I don't un-earn my new linky within the first week of getting it.
Tate Linden
Principal Consultant
Stokefire Consulting Group
703-778-9925
