What Great Brands Do

1. Great brands start inside: Culture is the foundation

"Without strong cultural alignment, it's very easy for hardworking and talented people to work at cross-purposes and produce mediocre results because they all have different opinions about what's on brand and what's not."

Culture drives brand success. Great brands recognize that a strong internal culture is essential for delivering a consistent and authentic brand experience. They invest in creating a shared understanding of the brand's values, purpose, and identity among all employees and stakeholders. This alignment ensures that everyone in the organization is working towards the same goals and making decisions that reinforce the brand.

Culture-building strategies:

• Develop a clear brand platform that articulates core values and purpose
• Use tools like Brand Toolboxes to provide guidance on brand expression
• Conduct Brand Engagement Sessions to increase understanding and buy-in
• Extend brand culture to external partners and stakeholders

By starting with a strong internal culture, great brands create a solid foundation for all other brand-building efforts. This inside-out approach leads to more authentic and consistent brand experiences for customers.

2. Avoid selling products: Focus on emotional connections

"We humans are emotional creatures. We make our purchase decisions based on how products promise to make us feel."

Emotional connections drive loyalty. Great brands understand that customers are not simply buying products or services; they are buying into experiences, identities, and emotional states. By focusing on creating deep emotional connections rather than just promoting product features, these brands build lasting relationships with customers.

Strategies for emotional brand-building:

• Identify the core emotional benefits your brand provides
• Use storytelling and experiential marketing to bring these emotions to life
• Develop products and services that deliver on emotional promises
• Conduct empathic research to understand customers' deeper needs and desires

Examples:

• Nike's "Just Do It" campaign taps into emotions of empowerment and achievement
• Starbucks creates a "third place" that evokes feelings of comfort and community

By prioritizing emotional connections over product attributes, great brands create more meaningful and enduring relationships with their customers.

3. Ignore trends: Challenge conventions and anticipate movements

"Real growth happens when you catch a rising wave and no one else is nearby to share it with. Then you're riding a wave you can call your own."

Lead, don't follow. Great brands resist the temptation to chase short-term trends, instead focusing on anticipating and shaping long-term cultural movements. This approach allows them to differentiate themselves and create new markets rather than competing in crowded spaces.

Strategies for anticipating movements:

• Conduct ongoing cultural scanning and forecasting
• Identify "value denials" – unmet needs in the marketplace
• Challenge industry conventions and status quo thinking
• Invest in innovation that aligns with emerging cultural shifts

Examples:

• Chipotle challenged fast food conventions with its focus on fresh, ethically-sourced ingredients
• Tesla anticipated the shift towards sustainable transportation and reshaped the automotive industry

By ignoring trends and focusing on deeper cultural movements, great brands position themselves as leaders and innovators in their industries.

4. Don't chase customers: Attract ideal customers with brand identity

"If it doesn't provide a clearly appealing message to a discrete target, a brand will lack distinctiveness. It will have no draw."

Attract, don't pursue. Great brands have a clear sense of their identity and the specific customers they serve best. Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, they focus on attracting customers who align with their values and offerings. This approach leads to more loyal customers and a stronger brand position.

Strategies for attracting ideal customers:

• Develop a clear brand positioning that differentiates you from competitors
• Use needs-based segmentation to identify your most valuable customer groups
• Craft messaging and experiences that resonate with your target audience
• Be willing to say "no" to opportunities that don't align with your brand

Examples:

• Lululemon maintains high prices and strict return policies, attracting committed fitness enthusiasts
• Red Bull's polarizing brand personality intentionally appeals to a specific, adventure-seeking demographic

By focusing on attracting ideal customers rather than chasing any available market, great brands build stronger, more authentic relationships with their core audience.

5. Sweat the small stuff: Details create memorable experiences

"All the little things you do—or fail to do—for your customers in person will out-communicate the big things you may claim through mass media."

Details matter. Great brands recognize that every interaction with customers, no matter how small, shapes their perception of the brand. They obsess over the details of the customer experience, ensuring that every touchpoint reinforces the brand's values and promises.

Strategies for sweating the small stuff:

• Create a Brand Touchpoint Wheel to identify all customer interactions
• Develop a Customer Experience Architecture to design optimal experiences
• Align all touchpoints to deliver a consistent brand experience
• Empower employees to make decisions that enhance customer experiences

Examples:

• Apple's meticulous product packaging creates a sense of anticipation and quality
• Zappos' commitment to customer service extends to offering free return shipping and 365-day returns

By paying attention to even the smallest details, great brands create more memorable and impactful customer experiences that reinforce their brand identity.

6. Commit and stay committed: Sacrifice for long-term brand integrity

"A great company is much more likely to die of indigestion from too much opportunity than starvation from too little."

Stay true to your core. Great brands have a clear understanding of their core identity and values, and they remain committed to these even when faced with tempting opportunities or short-term pressures. This unwavering focus helps build trust with customers and creates a stronger, more resilient brand over time.

Strategies for maintaining commitment:

• Develop a clear brand essence that articulates your core purpose and values
• Use your brand platform as a filter for decision-making
• Be willing to sacrifice short-term gains for long-term brand integrity
• Regularly reaffirm your commitment to core brand principles

Examples:

• Southwest Airlines has consistently refused to charge for checked bags, despite industry trends
• Patagonia encourages customers to buy less and repair their existing products, prioritizing environmental values over short-term sales

By committing to their core identity and values, great brands build stronger, more authentic relationships with customers and create lasting brand equity.

7. Never have to "give back": Create shared value for all stakeholders

"Great brands make their social and cultural contributions by creating shared value for all stakeholders, including their communities."

Integrate social impact. Rather than treating social responsibility as a separate initiative, great brands integrate it into their core business model. They create value not just for shareholders, but for all stakeholders, including employees, communities, and the environment.

Strategies for creating shared value:

• Identify areas where your business can address social or environmental issues
• Develop products or services that solve societal problems
• Redesign your supply chain to be more sustainable and ethical
• Engage employees in meaningful social impact initiatives

Examples:

• IKEA designs products and operations to make quality furniture accessible to more people
• Patagonia's Common Threads Initiative encourages repair and recycling of its products

By creating shared value for all stakeholders, great brands build stronger relationships with their communities and create more sustainable, resilient businesses.

8. Brand as business: Integrate all principles for maximum impact

"What separates a truly great brand from a merely good one is whether the organization carries out a complete and thorough implementation of the seven brand-building principles within a cohesive brand-as-business approach."

Holistic implementation is key. The true power of these brand-building principles comes from implementing them as an integrated whole. Great brands don't cherry-pick individual strategies; they embrace a comprehensive "brand as business" approach that infuses every aspect of their operations.

Strategies for brand as business:

• Align all business strategies and decisions with your brand platform
• Develop core competencies in brand strategy implementation
• Integrate brand-building efforts across all departments and functions
• Use your brand as a lens for evaluating new opportunities and challenges

Benefits of the brand-as-business approach:

• Exposes new growth opportunities
• Shapes business objectives and strategies
• Creates unified, focused teams
• Connects daily activities to long-term brand vision

By fully embracing the brand-as-business approach, companies can unlock the full potential of their brand to drive growth, innovation, and long-term success.

Last updated: April 29, 2025