Why brands matter

I want to take a minute to talk about brands.

There has been an almost toxic movement over the last decade toward data as the all-time greatest and most powerful metric of success.

In fact, it’s so important, let’s call it Data with a capital D.

You hear it all the time.

“We’re a Data-driven agency.”

“Let’s see what the Data says.”

Now I am absolutely not arguing that the egos and instincts that so often lead to bad decisions in business are superior to cold hard facts. We need Data.

In the end, even the coolest idea, best design, or biggest brand only works if it works. And it’s the Data that says if it worked or not.

But.

Having a brand that truly means something can create opportunities bigger than what the Data might assume.

If you ask Simon Sinek, this means a brand that has a clear “Why.”

A reason for existing.

An infinite game.

These are brands that have built a moat of untouchability around them. A moat filled with sharks.

Because I don’t care what the math says, there is no constraint that keeps competitors out of the soda game quite like the Coke brand.

If you took $100,000,000,000, you couldn’t unseat Coke.

Some brands have built almost para-social relationships with their customers to the point that they will choose to wear branded merch.

KFC and Hidden Valley Ranch have both launched incredible merch stores that elevate their brands to entirely new categories. (I swear Barilla pasta used to have one too but I can’t find any reference to it online).

That being said, I think the best example of the power of branding is the existence of collaborations.

Occasionally there are deeper reasons, like Jack and Coke leveraging each other's brands AND distribution networks. But, with the same distribution, Jack and Sprite doesn’t work. It’s the brand that carries the weight.

But most of the time, a collaboration seeks to simply borrow another brand’s WHY. It’s essence. (and hopefully its audience)

Rarely do we make any assumptions about the WHAT or HOW of a product because of the collaboration.

A NASA x Ridge wallet does not imply space-age materials. It draws on a preexisting affinity for space to a consumer who may not have otherwise been interested in buying a new wallet.

A Pantone x Ruggable rug does not imply the colors are a specific shade.

This is something I firmly believe Data cannot do.

Only by maintaining a consistent story, driven by a powerful why, can you build a brand with enough clarity to lend its essence to another.

Patrick Lencioni writes ad nauseam about the value of being ‘healthy’ over being ‘smart’.

I believe brands are the same way.

Are you digging in to the smarts. To the data. To the focus groups. And the optimization.

Or are you digging into the story. The passion. The love. The people. The why.

No one wants to collaborate with your spreadsheet.

That being said, Excel should absolutely to a Ruggable collab. It would crush.

be good.

z

PS

My favorite collab I own are these Vans x Hedley & Bennett Sk8 Hi’s. They are build on the ‘maker’ model Vans did years ago and they are leagues above normal Vans in comfort.

My favorite collab I don’t own: