BRANDISHING… A 21st Century Brand Weapon

Brandpsych logoBRANDISHING…  A 21st Century Brand Weapon

Brandishing is becoming a brand-building strategy for designers and products.  So what is it? Brandishing is a strategy of customer-centric “weapons” for competitively positioning brand values. These values must be innovatively brandished:

1. IdentitySelf-Brandualization is the customer brandishing pride…

2. Experience – Brandishing of special experiences and engagements – such as Macy’s “find your magic” special events

3. Relevance – enabling a customer to fit a brand’s style to their own lifestyle… e.g., NIKE’s “just do it”

4. Battle Plan – Empower customers to be fearless, to feel that the brand they choose is a “one-and-only” to help them in their personal wars by having their own “secret”

In this fast-paced century, Brandishing requires a sharper brand sword that can cut through some of the current customer skepticism and disbelief.

The “ultimate driving machine” has to keep moving to higher customer standards and “its amazing what soup can do,” will need to do it even better. If modesty is just a memory, then now “there’s nothing between me and my whatevers!” How long will we believe that “a diamond is forever”? How long will we still “care enough to send the very best”? Thus we must ask: Will we continue to hear the battle cry: “because I’m worth it!” We think yes, if brands understand that customers believe in — Brandishing of the customer — by the customer – for the customer!

The power thrust of a brand is in its brandishing of superiority over and difference within its industry category.

BRANDishing drawing by Arthur Winters
Which brands do you choose to Brandish?

 

Arthur & Peggy Winters co-teach SXB 200 Brand Marketing Communications for Image & Meaning and SXR 050 Intro to Branding: The Art of Customer Bonding.