the timboucher experience

I’m gearing up to do a more detailed article on brand identity in religions and other story-systems. I touched on it here and there, but never really attacked the matter directly. I think it deserves a thorough dissecting, and I also think it’s one of the more powerful points that I’ve made in my writing, and conveniently is one of the easiest to explain.

But now is not the time for explaining. Nows is the time for note-taking. Here is a page of brand marketing definitions that I like and want to come back to.

I’m gonna list some of my favorites. Any time you see the word “brand” just mentally replace it with “religion”.

• brand identity - A brand’s unique system of iconography, images, messages, or “trade dress” that symbolizes the brand and, ideally, conveys its essence. Not to be confused with the brand itself. Identity is to a brand like clothes are to the man - you can change your suit, but it’s a lot harder to change your personality.
• brand relevance - The degree to which a brand has meaning to its customers. Brooks Brothers and Levis each have a relevance problem, and won’t fix it unless they can find a way to use their brand equity and essence to become relevant to customers again.
• brand resonance - The quality of a brand that makes it become more than relevant to customers- it speaks to peoples’ deeply held beliefs and search for meaningful experiences.
• customer shrine - A ’shrine” built to customers- a collection of images, photos, samples of products they use, anything that contributes to absorbing a complete sense of their inner and outer lives.
• passion brand - A brand that resonates with consumers and makes them passionate about the brand’s products or services.
• branding - The process of transforming a commodity into a unique customer experience.
• brand awareness - Step 1 in branding, which companies often fail to go beyond. Brand resonance is a better thing to focus on. Tonya Harding and Enron both have strong brand awareness.
• brand differentiation - The secret sauce, attribute, characteristic, perception, or association that compellingly and dramatically sets the brand apart from all others in its category, often creating an entirely new category. A component of Brand DNA.
• brand character - Often the answer to the question “what would your brand behave like if it were a person?” Character definitions usually revolve around personality traits: outgoing vs. shy; curious vs complacent; easy going vs irritable. A component of Brand DNA.

The company that put those together is smart. I’m gonna read more… and recommend them to all my friends… must… buy… their… products…..!

• The Religion of Buying
• Knee-Jerk Reactions & Cultural Auto-Immune System Response
• Brand Religion Links
• Notes: Ego Iggie Helpers
• Notes: If God Is For Us