Staying On-Brand and "Living Your Legend"
Imagine building a brand as iconic as Harley-Davidson. Now imagine trying to build that brand. Let's first just focus on the engine to that Harley-Davidson. There are so many moving parts and precision is key. The same applies to building the brand. There are decisions to make from brand identity to marketing messages and every touchpoint in between. Without a strong foundation and brand vision, you'll spend time, energy, and resources trying to connect with your audience.
Living Your Legend
Harley-Davidson executes its brand story flawlessly through its 2016 campaign, Live Your Legend. What a great example of how story can help bring the brand to life and reflect the true personality of this iconic brand. This story creates a strong emotional connection for anyone who has a desire to break-free and live their passion, to be in the moment, and create legacy.
"Story is the secret ingredient that makes an emotional connection powerful and lasting." Branding Magazine.
WHAT'S THE LESSON FOR US?
Just like an iconic, well-planned, focused brand every touchpoint you are involved in should be connected to helping build the brand in the minds of the consumer. From stories to customer service, spending time to develop a brand-focused plan will help you stand out from the competitors and create that connection with the brand the consumer is seeking.
How do know if you are staying on-brand? Practice makes perfect. Monitoring your brand and auditing your brand regularly will also help. Be sure to narrow your focus and always be in the moment while knowing your brand vision, assessing every move, and knowing when to adjust to keep that brand in focus in your audience's mind and in everything you do.
Here's a list of common touch points for you to assess and conduct your own brand audit. Are you on-brand and are you living your legend?
For me, staying on-brand and living my legend means staying focused as "THE BRAND COACH" and telling my story which is about growing authentic brands. I'll do that partially through this blog but also through my work with branding clients and brand workshops. I've identified the following branding topics for my blog below. This will help me stay on-brand and my unique style and brand personality will continue to develop and I'll adjust as needed.
Brand Foundations
Brand Strategy
Brand Vision
Brand Positioning
Brand Equity
Brand Audit
Brand Identity
Brand Story
Archetypes
Corporate Culture
Brand Experience
Are you on-brand and are you living your legend?
It's time for you to connect the dots and see how you can build your authentic brand through everything you do. If it's a blog, look at your topics, your style, and your overall personality. Are you on-brand? If you are working on a social media campaign, review that for authenticity and if you are communicating your passion. If you are developing a new logo, how does it convey what makes you unique and does it tell your authentic story? Just like Harley, it's now time to live your legend.
If you are reading this as a result of the YOU-CAN-BLOG CHALLENGE, THANK YOU! You rock and I know you can BLOG LIKE A BOSS too! Thanks for reading as I add more value through my blog as the month continues. I'll be experimenting with different formats and topics so thanks for any feedback this month.
Thanks for joining me and keep branding!
Ken DeGilio, Brand Coach
