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Four Things My Kids Taught Me About Branding

by Jason Dreistadt | Jun 10, 2014 | Branding

Summer has begun and Father’s Day is soon approaching. I have been thinking about what it means to be a father and how I (along with my wife) am responsible for raising and teaching our children. Surprisingly, I have learned as much, if not more, from my kids. Here are just a couple things that I have learned from my kids as it relates to brand communications.

 

1) Tell them a story.

My kids love being told stories (the current favorite is “Another Monster at the End of This Book,” but I digress). It helps to engage their imagination. It teaches them language and creates a strong bond between the parent and child. It helps them understand concepts using information that they already know. Branding IS story telling. The value of a story is that it bridges the gap between what they know and what can be. It will reinforce your specific language and what is significant to you. Also, the bond between an organization and its constituents will deepen.

 

2) Have a good reason.

With kids, you just know that you are going to get the question… “Why?” over and over and over again. One time, after the outpouring of “why’s” began regarding cleaning up toys, frustration was quickly settling in, and my wife calmly turned to our youngster and said, “You need to clean up the toys so that we can go to the grocery store.” Recognition clicked in and everything went smoothly. Granted, most consumers will not ask the question “why,” but they will be thinking it. You should know why you are doing what you are doing.

 

3) Keep it brief.

In today’s short attention span culture, you have to be concise and brief. In five minutes, people will be on to something new. Do not say in ten sentences what you can say in three. (major editing was performed on this paragraph)

 

4) Consistency is key.

When you are consistent with your messaging whether it be about the values and mission of your organization or cleaning up your toys, amazing things can happen. Organizations must be consistent with their brand in order to avoid brand confusion. Just like consistent communication with regard to discipline can work wonders with children, consistent communication with your constituents is necessary in order to promote growth.

 

Branding is a promise that you must never fail to keep. Just like a broken promise to a child, a broken brand promise takes time to rebuild trust.

 

What things have your kids taught you regarding branding?

Jason Dreistadt
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