so make it good

questions worth asking in a creative world

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One of my jobs as an aspiring planner is to simplify problems and be curious about the world around me. Often times, I will take this curiosity and use it to break down the very industry I’m working to become a part of. The ad world to me is fascinating, especially when it comes to how...

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Don't try to be original. Just try to be good.

Paul Rand

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Eames: Lessons in Creativity from Design’s Greatest Duo

In the last few months I’ve been on a bit of a design kick. Perhaps it’s been fueled by living in two of the greatest American cities for architecture and art. Perhaps its been built up anticipation of creating a new abode essentially from scratch. Also, pinterest is my undoing. Naturally, my curiosity led to the story of Eames, and oh what a cool story to explore.

Ray and Charles Eames are to American design as apple pie is to American baking. You may prefer cake, but they’re still a big deal. Their chairs, structures, and films are still popular to millions of households, while the name has become synonymous with the post war boom. Yet, as amazing as their creations were, I feel it was the process they fostered that is the real gem to our culture and creative professions everywhere. Some of their practices that were bizarre in the mid century are commonplace today in innovative organizations. Whether you work somewhere that embraces lessons like these, or you just want to foster good practices in your own day to day, here are some beautiful things to take away from the Eames legacy.

Setbacks can open your eyes to amazing possibilities you didn’t realize before. In the office’s early years, Charles was intent on molding plywood into single seamless but abstract shapes. However, the wood would splinter, so holes would have to be placed to relieve stress. When working on a new splint for the military, what was originally a blight to Eames turned into a critical benefit of the design.

They say their work was all about “being good to your guests.” This meant knowing who it was they were serving and designing from that understanding. Everything in the Eames office was done with the end user in mind.

Their early work didn’t pay much regard to the consumer, and was generally accepted both internally and externally as failures.

Studio 901 where they worked was the proverbial “cool office” long before the “cool office” was even a thing. Visitors claimed it was like walking into a zoo, but that it was teeming with creative energy. But it wasn’t just crazy stuff on the walls, it was a highly flexible workplace: the desks were constantly being rearranged to suit the needs of projects, shoots, protyping and more. The space of 901 was a reflection of the people who worked there, not just a location to work.

Both Charles and Ray were phenomenal at what they did (Charles in architecture, Ray in painting and film), but it was what they did together that was important. Even though Charles was the head of the office, he never saw his work as anything special without Ray’s contribution.

On that note, Ray and Charles were an equal creative partnership 20 years before the Creative Revolution brought the practice to advertising! I’m not saying Bill stole the concept, but it’s worth noting that even the most glorified breakthroughs are often adapted lessons from other industries. I bet if I searched, I could find a creative duo predating Eames without too much difficulty.

Things aren’t always fair, but they can be marvelous in other ways. Especially when it came to credit, Charles in a way took advantage of his worker’s talents. Though at the same time they took advantage of the relationship, getting to work with a real pair of masters.

On authenticity: In 1959 the office was commissioned to make a film representing America to the citizens of the Soviet Union. The State Department wanted to highlight highways and military prowess, but Ray and Charles knew better, choosing instead to end the piece on Forget Me Nots – directly translatable into Russian and the universal symbol of friendship. Retelling the story, their grandson says, “If you’re going to communicate to 3 million Soviet Russians, you’ve got to say something honest. You can’t just show you’ve got better weapons or this or that. You’ve got to speak from the heart.” Upon viewing the film, Nikita Khrushchev – the guy who pounded his shoe at the U.N. – was left in tears.

Charles in particular was very obviously fascinated with the world around him. He was always trying to learn more about a new subject, which ultimately brought the team a great variety of work. Occasionally the entire office was sent out with cameras just to take pictures of things that interested them. Anthropology wasn't an area of expertise to any one person at Studio 901, it was the ticket in the door. “If you’re selling your expertise, you have a limited repertoire. If you’re selling your ignorance, you have an unlimited repertoire. He was selling his ignorance and his desire to learn about a subject. The journey of his not knowing to knowing was his work.”

Walk in Stupid anyone?

Eames is a name known for furniture, but they never considered themselves furniture designers, or really even designers. They were communicators who used design and images in place of words. Something the chew on. If you wish to learn more about Eames, check out the documentary on Netflix, visit MoMA, or steal your boss’s chair.

  If you don’t think this is just the coolest chair ever then YOU ARE WRONG. Also, my birthday is coming up if you have $2,000 to drop.

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not comic sans i don't even want to hear it

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Free bubble wrap at a bus stop, cut into different size squares depending on how long your wait is. It's so simple but so perfect - a classic "shoulda had a V8" moment. 

As great a fit this would be for a non-trad display by the likes of 3M or Office Depot, it was not done by a brand or agency. It's a piece by an artist specialized in "creating unconventional experiences seen on streets of Italy." Way to go Fra Biancoshock.

A reminder to us that not everything needs a fancy overhaul - the best answers are often the least complicated.

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Last day of work. Gonna miss the decor. #job #radarstudios #clocks (at Radar Studios)

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John Maeda: How art, technology and design inform creative leaders

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It's set - the final leg of my journey! #bretnycbound

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Thanks to The New Yorker

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On Leaving Home

"This... feels different."

For the last 4 weeks these 3 otherwise simple words have preoccupied my mind in an eerily sobering fashion. See, for the last 4 and a half weeks I've been train hopping across the country to pursue my career aspirations in New York (or Chicago, but that's another story).  

Saying farewell to my life in the northwest wasn't - for lack of a better word - difficult. For a whole slew of reasons, it was actually quite easy at first. There was some recoil and it was a little offset. A few days passed before I felt the full gravitas of my inevitable departure. It was a split screen moment that went like this:

My dad came home from dropping me and my 3 bags of belongings off at the train station, sat down next to my mom, and said, "This... feels different. This is not like him leaving for school or anything we've seen before. This is big."

And upon my mom's retelling of this, the significance of my decision caught up to me.  This is different. This is not a temporary leave (this is different than purgatory). This is the biggest change I've faced in my life.  And while I'm not going into it with blind optimism or lack of a plan, there is a bit of a "HOLY SHIT" feeling that goes along with it.

Gone is being close to family. Gone is spending time with so many of the people who have been central to my life for years. Gone are most of my possessions. Gone is the safety of making a career in Portland. Gone is a spacious apartment to come home to at the end of the day.

Still, my destination is a world class metropolis.  My couch/floor/closet will be a hot item for family and friends.  There are new, even stronger connections to be made.  An experience-not-stuff based existence is something I admire and strive for (not to mention am accomplishing surprisingly well).  The career possibilities are more challenging and hence more rewarding where I'm going.  And if you think I value floor space over urban living with [someday] a phenomenal view, well you don't know me all that well.

So when I acknowledge that this feels different, it's not strictly melancholy.  There are parts that I'm not used to yet.  There are parts that will continue to feel out of place until a little solidity returns, like a full time job or a bed.  But there are more parts right now and looming on the horizon that are so freaking exciting that I'm reminded why I did this. 

Right now my life is full of the unfamiliar save for my destination, drive, and a few bags of clothes*. But that won't be forever. The elements of discomfort today become pieces of perspective tomorrow.

So yeah, this is big.  There's no hand holding on this adventure.  This feels different, but hey, I wanted something different. There's no direction to move but forward.

*If I don't get a heavy winter coat soon, I might actually turn into a popsicle. It is not warm in the heartland.

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Why I am skeptical of universal answers to the mysteries of marketing

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When All Is Said & Done III - Career & Life

Part III - Finding Success In Career and In Life

I'm Equipped to be a Project Manager, But Strive to be an Account Manager

Can I lead internally, organize, motivate, allocate, get results, and grow profitability internally? Yes. In fact, a lot of my experience stems from these abilities. A great deal of my internship was devoted more to these project management attributes than account management ones (as can be expected with an internship). Still, it leaves more to be desired. I envision myself a better thinker than a doer, and so I strive to work in a position with more on that list: things like lead externally, be a strategic business partner, build trust, ask the right questions, diffuse hostile situations, negotiate, manage expectations, offer perspective, and grow profitability externally. My career will probably see a combination of both roles.

I Will Benefit from Relaxing More

The people I’ve worked with point out that I’m just as laid back and bizarre as they... but I can appear stiff or conservative on first appearance. I get it. Somewhere between dressing fashion forward, being a bit self conscious of saying the wrong thing on a first meet, and my role in account management I fit a mental stereotype. There’s a number of things I can do to work on this that will help my career success and comfort. 

But seriously what’s so wrong about wearing a collar if you’re meeting the client?? Fucking Portlandia is living the dream of the 90s...

Finding Mentors to Learn From is a Huge Priority in My Early Career

I’m no expert at this. In these critical first years in the workforce I realize that watching and learning from seasoned pros will be a giant part of how I can better myself quickly. There’s a ton to be learned through just doing it, but relying on that entirely misses the wisdom that others have to offer. This is especially true in a field like client services where managing perspective is such a central component of the job. The challenge is on me to go after these people with zeal, especially if I’m in a highly individualistic place like New York.

Never Go To Somebody With A Problem Without "Solving" It First

It's not their job to solve your problems. You're going to be better served by thinking through the best solution you can muster, then comparing it to what others have to say and making it better. Ask questions. Seek advice. Look for perspective. But save someone the effort of walking you through an answer and make the effort yourself.

Brevity is Essential When Describing Anything

When rehearsed, I have little problem with sticking to main points and being detailed only where it's necessary. However, when adlibbing, I still have plenty of work to do. Conclusion: know the work inside and out so everything that comes out of my mouth at least appears to be extremely well thought out and concise.

I'm Told I Know How To Own The Room

Booyah. 

I Should Be Prepared to Dedicate My Soul for 2 Years

It's brutal out there, especially in the big cities. If I want to make it - and I do - I need to be ready to sacrifice a lot. Friends, family, and free time are all going to be afterthoughts to excelling at my job for the first several years. I was told to "learn to play the game" by showing up earlier than everyone else, leaving after the office is clear, taking on every project I can get my paws on, getting familiar with the work that's being made, and doing my homework even after hours. Through this selfless dedication to the work I will be able to prove my worth among a sea of other hardworking, talented, qualified contenders. Sounds crazy right? Yeah, but that crazy devotion is exactly what I'm drawn to, and coincidentally what I've been working to do for years. 

Keep the Long Term in Mind

I'm hungry to motor hard for my career - long after those first couple years have passed. But I recognize that there's more to life than work. In high-paced industries like advertising, finance, and entertainment its all too common to see people dedicate their entire lives to the job, only to look back burnt out, alone, and with little to show. It's easy to get caught up in it all and lose sight of what you really want.

So I've spent the last several months reaching out to people that have gone after the crazy, looking for perspective as I make my next steps. What I've waked away from these talks with is a) the reassurance that following my career dreams right now is warranted and well timed, and b) to keep a critical lens on my life - where I came from, where I am, and where I want to go. Do I want to settle down and start a family right now? Hell no. Do I want that at some point? Yes, as long as it doesn't involve living in suburbia. I'm ready to dive headfirst and work like my life depends on it, but while doing so I'm keeping in mind what I'm doing it for and reevaluating my situation regularly along the way. Besides, if we as advertising professionals aren't connected to the world we cater to, what use do we really have?

New York, I’m Coming for You

This summer was a major test for me. Having grown up in Portland and recognizing its growing creative market, I asked could I build a career here or is my desire for the big city too great to put off? My conclusion was somewhat surprising, but exciting: Portland is a comfortable city, but comfortable is not what I want right now. What I want is the ludicrous pace of the city. A place where I feed off the energy of millions of other driven hardworking individuals living in culture-rich canyons of glass, steel, and brownstone. There’s only a few places I can find that, and as challenging as it may be to make it there, it’s the challenge that makes it all the more appealing. 

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When Is All Said & Done II - Account

Part II - Servicing the Account

A New Account is Like a New Relationship

No matter how fresh the client claims to want things, they bring "baggage" with them and long standing tendencies that cannot be ignored. In our campaign proposal there were pieces that we nailed by recognizing what made up the client, and there were things we did not anticipate that bit us in the end. At the end of the day, you need to be "authentic" to the brand that exists and fit within it. Even when rebranding, you are not working with a tabla rasa. Do your homework in terms of culture, operations, aspirations, past successes, and past failures. Understand the client better than they understand themselves, and you'll be better set up for success.

Be Able to Explain "Why"

There are plenty of agencies that claim to be "creatively led". Power to them. The world needs more creatively led institutions. However it's important to recognize that creative alone is subjective. The client may or may not like it regardless of how ingenious the idea is simply because they're in a bad mood that day (or a number of other unfair and trivial reasons that are largely bullshit). If you're dedicated to seeing that work reach the world, you better be able to justify it and explain why it will do what your client needs it to do.

Creative is Subjective 

Creative built on sound strategy is Bulletproof

and stands out, and wins pitches, and wins awards, and moves the lever, and makes everyone happy

The creative-led agencies that thrive understand this. W+K, GS&P, and TBWA\Chiat\Day all make phenomenal work that blows us away, but they also have crazy-smart strategic thinking supporting everything they do. Every campaign has reason why it will work. That reason is stronger in some cases than others. Either way, knowing that reason why and being able to articulate it well may be the clincher in the final round. Now that I've pissed some of you off with my creative-blasphemy let me say that yes, I believe the work can be wildly creative and still move the lever. Really, should we aim for anything less? I think not.

Strategy Has a Different Definition Depending on Who You Ask

It's on me to figure out what that means where I work and for my clients, and help elevate all of our understanding of it. I also found in this internship that lots of folks fresh out of school have a small grasp of the necessity (or meaning) of strategy. I need to be prepared for this particularly when working with young art directors, writers, and inexperienced or small clients.

Tell People What They Need to Hear. Tell Them in a Way They'll Listen

Different agencies have different approaches to being honest with their clients. Part of my job is to match that approach that makes them successful. Not every agency has a creative reputation that allows them to be brutally (and successfully) honest. Still, I feel that honesty piece is too important to ignore for the sake of smiling brand managers. If you do it right, the results will speak for themselves. Coming out of this internship, I feel comfortable saying in most circumstances deliver what the client says they want, then give them more. It shows that you’re thinking ahead, that you’ve got their best interest in mind - not just deliverables, and that you’re willing to play ball, but that you see more potential than the client may realize. On a tactical level, repeating what your counterpart says goes a long way.

Recognize When to Bet the Farm

If you don’t have something you believe in strongly enough to bet your job on it then you’re probably not all that necessary. Every now and then something comes up that's worth its weight in gold and those moments ought to be seized. No major name in this world got to the top by playing it safe all the time. When you have the chance to successfully go big, 

go big.

But Know How to Pick Your Battles

A good deal of pride-swallowing will probably be needed to earn enough trust for that big idea you’re willing to wager your career and agency on. A great analogy described to me during the internship sums this up: throw away the pawns, but fight for the kings, queens, and bishops. Remember, at its best a relationship between agency and brand is a partnership, not a dictatorship - that goes both ways.

Always Keep the Objective in Mind 

When devising strategy and tactics remember the purpose you were given. If what you're making doesn’t contribute to the objective then you’re off target and only wasting time and money - mostly yours I add. If what you've got is powerful enough to warrant a revision to the scope, then sell it to the client, but until then remember what you're getting paid to do.

After You Make the Campaign, Break the Campaign

Come up with every possible question that the client may ask of the pitch. Some things you’ll be able to address and adjust, and others you won’t. At the very least you’ll be prepared for those questions and can lead the conversation in your favor. Our team did this and it was a huge benefit and significantly added to our victory. Half of the questions the client asked were nearly exactly ones we predicted, and the others we were far more prepared to answer. Do not walk into the pitch blindly confident or you run the risk of getting buried.

Write a Strong Scope of Work

If you don't, then your agency is in dangerous water of being forced into more work than your compensation provides for. That conversation with the client is a lot harder to have than getting it right up front.

Read Up Every Morning on What’s Going On in the World

A great mentor during my time at The New Group, George Vakoutis, told me a story about how one of his past bosses in client services would get up at 4 AM every morning to read the New York Times front to back. He did this because, working in account management, his job is to be a trusted advisor for his clients. In a role about relationship and communicating with a purpose, this story rung clear for me. That's why for the last month I have started every day reading RSS feeds on the major U.S. industries, economic conditions, political landscape, technological advances, social movements and more. Right now it's mainly helping me be better versed on the world, but I do it for that opportunity I will face at some point when a client asks for my point of view on a topic. When that day comes I'll be prepared to answer intelligently with detail and relevance, and in doing so support them to look good internally and strengthen the relationship.

Make sure to check out my other posts on working with teams, shaping career, and life takeaways!

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When All Is Said & Done I - Team

When All Is Said & Done

And so the PAF Colaboratory adventure has finally come to a close. I now have a competitive advertising internship under my belt, but more important than that I have a reservoir of experiences to take into my career, namely to this next critical stage: landing a job. 

I could go on about all the technical and detail oriented things I learned this summer, but let's be honest: much of that is relevant only depending on the circumstance. So I'm going to share with you the bigger lessons and takeaways of the internship - the ones that apply everywhere. Hopefully you can take some away yourself and use in your own life.

Part I - Working With A Team

In this internship the 10 members worked individually at agencies around Portland during the day, and then in the evenings and weekends together in 1 of 2 teams on an actual campaign pitch for the MLS Portland Timbers. I was the account manager for team Argo (we won btw). I entered the internship with a hearty background of leadership experience, but this pressure cooker pushed me to find new truths about myself and how to effectively work with people with diverse backgrounds.

Take Care of Your Team & They'll Take Care of You

When you're all working 80+ hours a week, it's important to stay fueled. Keeping veggie platters, microbrews, chips, muffins, and coffee readily available at meetings made the world go round late into the evenings and early in the mornings. It sounds dorky, but bite size candy bars to encourage brainstorming seems to work really well at key times too. And when the team has been working really hard, reward them after hours. I'm assured that good account guys make it rain. Simple stuff, huge benefits.

No Matter How Hard I Try, Not Everyone Will See Things From The Client's Eyes

Or at least right now I'm too inexperienced to influence this as well as I thought was possible. I can however build up the creative team's trust and equity in me so that when I need to push a client need, they respect me enough to trust in my judgment. We ought to all work with the team, not for or at the team. Still other times I will have to make the hard call and it will upset some folks. That’s life.

If You Don't Need To Squash An Idea, Don't

Who knows what that idea could evolve into. Twice our team came up with ideas that I didn’t feel were that strong, but we let them live and I supported them. They evolved and adapted, and we eventually presented them. The client loved both. I don’t have the answers all the time. When I don’t, I find it’s better to trust in the judgment in others. There will be another time when it’ll be necessary to be strikingly critical. Having built up a stockpile of goodwill can make all the difference. I can't stress this enough.

I Should Make The Creative Director My Best Friend

Our team didn’t have one (by nature of the internship), and that made things hard at times. I can comfortably offer perspective, translate, contribute ideas, make the team look good, and be a internal vetting agent, but I am not an experienced creative mentor. Even if I've built up goodwill with the creative team, chances are the Creative Director can deliver bad news to them better than I. I have a newfound appreciation for the magic that a CD can do for a campaign and agency. The CDs I reached out to help our team navigate our campaign did fantastic things for our final product and personal growth. Shoutout to my boys Brian and Mason.

I’m Surrounded By Really Really Smart People

Smarter than me in fact. And boy is that cool! Where else am I able to work with such a collection of specialists in such a wide range of subjects all with incredible drive? I'll never be able to write an award winning commercial, design a revolutionary web experience, or create a new brand look. It's important for me to recognize and show that I understand that they are experts in their practice, and that their job is demanding in very different ways than my own.

Progressive Agency Thinking Comes With Opposition

My role in client service does not and should not prohibit my ability to contribute ideas and be a part of the creative and strategic discussion. If you follow my blog you can see I'm firm on that. It's not without support either: I've been assured this is the way of the future by too many agency professionals to think otherwise. 

But it’s been made clear to me that outside this progressive "everything-is-backwards" nook of the world, there are plenty of people in agencies that still believe wholeheartedly to keeping the silos as separate as possible. I will face opposition in my career. I will be called a “suit” derogatorily more times than I can imagine. Others in accounts will scoff at me and claim I’m wasting my time. And I will endure.

We ought to support a democracy of good ideas, where big thinking comes from anywhere, not just from the expected "creative" places. In the end, we all face victory or failure together, so why not increase our chances?

I'm not naive. I know creatives’ career success is tied to their work. So future co-workers take note: I'm not in this for the fame. The relationships I build and experience I gain is far more important than my ideas. Remember, you're way smarter than me anyway. Even when a great idea comes up, it's hardly done. Take it the remaining 90% of the way, earn the credit, and bask in the limelight and praises I'll be singing of you. I'm here to make us all look good, not just myself.

Make An Agenda, Follow It, Get Done

People usually have better things to do than sit in meetings, so as a mediator of said meetings, it's on me to keep them to the point. The way I see it, the more structured and prepared you are going into a meeting/pitch/etc, the more flexibility you have to veer off of it. People appreciate when you respect their time this way.

Use Technology & Project Management Tools Early On

Things move at light speed when working on a pitch. Our ideas evolved so fast that they were distant cousins from one week to another. Tools like Basecamp or even self made spreadsheets on Excel are extremely helpful at just staying on top of the countless moving pieces of a campaign's construction. I used these to my advantage, but not until later stages of the pitch. This was largely due to us being thrown into the project with little knowhow and having to spend the first few weeks on the bigger picture aspects and norming the group. Having now gone through a proposal process, I can look forward to doing it again more effectively in the future.

There is No "Right" or "Wrong". There is "Most Appropriate"

Realizing this helped our team get over dozens of barriers to progressing forward in the pitch. Plenty of potent ideas were born in the process, but most never saw execution because they didn't fit the particular situation as appropriately as was needed. Don't throw out those ideas. Hold on to them. They might come into service on another problem, or be a source of inspiration for something new. Either way, this reasoning is a lot easier to swallow if you have an idea you love than having it be "wrong."

Happy Hour Makes for Great Bonding

Enough said.

Look forward to my other posts on my takeaways on accounts, career & life!

[somakeitgood]

UO NYC 2012: The Short of It

Ten years New York has been on my mind. An urban jungle in its truest form, bringing together the brightest minds of the last two centuries, ever reaching higher physically and figuratively. Working my way on to the annual University of Oregon advertising trip to the big apple for Creative Week was a no-brainer.

For ten incredible days I was immersed in the melting pot of The City at the center of humanity. With sixty strategic minds from the University of Oregon I went exploring its nooks, picking the brains of its driven advertising professionals, and connecting with people that I had only looked up to from a distance before. Even for all my visions of grandeur, I expected to find a different picture than I was idolizing, as I usually find when I travel. No, New York lives up to everything I hoped for and more. There's nine million driven people there, each with their own story and lessons I want to learn.

Probably the most valuable insights I took away from the many agency tours revolved around how an account manager can best serve his/her team. I heard many perspectives, some of them contradictory and bitter. Though in the end, I feel it comes down to trust, respect, and remembering that as an account person, I am there to work with the team including the client, not for the team or client. Prove the partnership, and help the people around succeed doing what they do best. And always keep the brief brief.

It also became apparent that we at UO are coming from a very different background than much of the up-and-comers from around the country. I think the best way the program was described was "progressive." If the concept of everyone being capable of creativity and strategy in their own way is uncommon in advertising, then I'm excited to see where today's Ducks take the industry tomorrow. A million props go out to the staff and student leadership in the SOJC for saying no to the status quo and demanding tomorrow's advertisers rise to the next level.

It's more than a major city or an advertising hub. New York is life; raw human energy. New York is where potential can be fully realized if you have what it takes. There's no way I can't be there. Now, I'm finding myself asking a whole new set of questions that will define my career and my life. Some of the questions are very hard. Some of the answers are reshaping my plan in bold and uncomfortable ways. And I'm okay with that. You need to follow what calls to you, and Manhattan is calling to me. I've got my work cut out for me, but I couldn't be happier.

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The Brand Is Not A Logo

I've known for some time that my career will be driven by connecting business and creative thinkers. This will be no simple task. If my experiences in the UO advertising and business school communities are any indication, perspectives of the "brand" and the purpose of advertising are very different depending on where you look at it. I'm extremely glad I'm able to witness the forming places of what will be future industry players' opinions on the subject. While I don't know if I will ever be a account-man-guru-phenom, I certainly can use my interactions with blooming client and agency minded people as preparation for the real deal.

In a recent presentation in a business school group I won't name, some colleagues of mine spoke about what is a brand. They suggested that a brand has a few requirements, including a logo, a tagline, and a color. This is a common (though not universal) thought in the marketing world. While it's not completely off base, I respectfully suggest that this opinion needs some guidance.

The general purpose of the brand is to allow value growth of a product line, company, etc. beyond the tangible factors of the product. It allows consumers to connect. People can't connect with products, but they can with brands because brands transcend physical limitations and adopt a persona. Brands function subconsciously as people in our minds and can be loved, detested, even worshiped. I can like a product for what it physically does, but when I like and trust what that product values, where it comes from, and what is does for me on an emotional level then I'm liking the brand encompassing it. Think of your product in a human physical form. That's your brand.

Some brands have what you could call "street cred"

I'm sorry, but a logo is not a brand, but it can tell you something about that brand. Same thing goes for a color. Tiffany's blue is not what the jeweler is, but it can tell me things about its luxury, simplicity, and tradition. You are not the clothes you wear, but the clothes you wear say something about you. Where you live gives clarity to your story just as where a product is made offers focus to the brand identity. These things are tools that contribute to brand identity, but ultimately that identity is up to the mind of the audience based on a whole slew of pieces.

Brand managers cannot control their brand in the eyes of consumers. However they can control many of the inputs that either positively or negatively influence the intended message. In marketing we refer to this as the 5 P's: product, price, placement, promotion, and people. When these line up they reinforce each other and a brand will be resilient to negative forces. When one or more factors are not consistent with the others they damage the value message of the brand and leave it vulnerable to attack.

A strong brand isn't always a beloved brand... but it helps

A common misinterpretation of the brand is that it has to do with the advertising/promotion portion of the marketing equation mostly or completely. A strong brand requires an integrated marketing approach. Without an integrated approach to the brand, the advertising is just promoting something the product is not (which really pisses customers off). To consumers a brand is not just a name, but a collection of experiences from every touch point in the product's story.

We can put a positive spin on a bad product. We can put a quality product in a cheap store. We can connect with socially conscious customers while using despicable production methods. We can even make a short-term increase in profits from these shortcuts. In the end however, it will come back to bite us. When consumers find that a brand is not what it claims to be they become hostile. When they find a brand that practices what it preaches and lines up with their values, they become customers and stay customers.

The lesson to take from all of this: when we are thinking about reinventing/creating a brand in the world, let's not fall into the trap of confusing marketing tools with their eventual effect. Let's think in terms of the brand and not just components that make it. Let's stand with conviction about our brands and support them, not just promote them. When we do this, our brands can act as influential and powerful figures in the lives of consumers, which stands better against competition, mistakes, and time. If we want profitable products, start with human brands.