Brand love & how to know if you’ve got it

Put a stake in the sand. Force a decision in people's minds. Am I with you or not?

So how’s your brand doing? Pretty good? Yep.

Well I’m no psychic, but i’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s probably not in as good shape as the Tesla brand.

Since it’s inception, Elon Musk has done an amazing job at keeping the brand in the front of people’s minds. So good in fact that someone with no relationship to the company was able to create a brand ad that is so good and true to brand that they could probably run it tomorrow. I wonder how many brands could have a stranger articulate their brand so well. It’s a stern test of the saliency of your message.

It’s a clear and powerful message that is missed by a lot of brands and even politicians – don’t be afraid to stand for something.

Put a stake in the sand. Force a decision in people’s minds. Am I with you or not? It sounds polarising and risky, but I think the opposite is true. I think trying to be something to everyone is the greatest way to becoming nothing to anyone. You just fall through the cracks. At best you’re known to be an agreeable mass of sloppy, vanilla ice cream, at worst you’re not known at all.

From a human perspective, I think we can all agree, Dylan Thomas said it best.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.