Let's Settle This: Brand is an Outcome, Not an Input

On what BRAND is and who owns it…

I was in Atlanta, in a super nice conference room at the Emory Conference Center and Hotel. 

I was surrounded by bankers. Well, bank marketers to be more precise. We were at the American Bankers Association’s Bank Marketing School, and we were talking about brand.

“Your brand is what anyone says about you.”

Woah. I was not yet a brand manager, and had never considered it from that angle. But I got where the presenter was going. 

You can pump out brand guidelines, content, and assets all you want; you need those to communicate your brand is all about.

But those are only small parts of your brand.

The way it makes others feel is your brand. And what they say about you after they’ve interacted with you is your brand. 

As Dave Gehardt put it, “A brand creates a feeling. An attraction. Hey. These people are like me! Or Hey! These people get me!”

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It’s more about the experience and what people know you for, and less about an awesome logo or slick messaging. 

Your brand is less about a color palette or font choices, and more about how you make someone feel. When was the last time a sans serif font made someone feel valued or persuaded them to refer you to someone else?

Never. The answer is never.

Because brand is an outcome, not an input. It's not a campaign, but who you truly are. It's not a strategy, but what reflects your purpose every single day.