There is a famous (in advertising circles) story about legendary ad man, Rosser Reeves, who pulls two quarters from his pocket and explains that his job is to make the consumer believe that the one in his right hand is worth more than the one in his left.

The idea that the purpose of branding is to differentiate between otherwise identical products is widely accepted by cynics, academics and many practitioners. Even in cases where the brand personality actually reflects true product superiority, the underlying assumption is that branding is an applied variable to the surface of a product which is itself the constant; it’s a spin, a gloss, or at best, a creative expression of the hand dealt.

Of course, branding can create wealth and fame (not to mention shelf space) for otherwise undifferentiated products. In his book, Branded Nation, James Twitchell points out that, in fact, the consumer is often willing to pay a premium for a compelling brand ‘story’ or ‘narrative’. It becomes, he argues, another tangible product attribute. Branding can also shine a light on a central, relevant product differentiator in those cases where one actually does exist. But there is another power of branding, largely overlooked, except by those CEOs and assorted brand stewards who have witnessed it first-hand.

Call it the power of the brand to make it so.

Walking the Talk

Branding helps companies, institutions, products and individuals define themselves not only to others, but to themselves. This might be the most powerful reason to undertake the difficult work required to arrive at a well-defined, commonly agreed upon brand vision. Even those who do this work underestimate how what they end up with will become something the product, the institution and its minders will have to live up to. Once it’s branded, and you say it’s so, well, it better be so. To amend Bill Bernbach’s famous words, there’s nothing worse for a bad product than good branding.

A good brand steward – be that the founder, the CEO or VP of Marketing – follows through on foundational brand work by picking the right employees, diligently allocating spending against on-brand efforts (and eliminating off-brand ones) and creating brand relevant alliances. This is where the commitment to the branding process is proven. Arriving at a clear and powerful brand vision isn’t easy. But living up to that vision is even harder.

Hoist by their own brand petard

Anyone who doubts the ability of a strong brand to demand the allegiance of its keepers need only look at what happens to those who deny it. The Martha Stewart brand was defined by meticulous attention to detail and the founder’s pure love of the domestic arts. Stewart’s sloppy financial management, at best, and greediness and mendacity, at worst, not only violated the law, it violated the brand.

VW’s millennially-pitched pitched brand persona defined a car company that felt transparent and has always stood in contrast to the automobile industry. The recent secretive malfeasance of VW’s corporate entity was all the more shocking in light of this brand gauntlet they’d thrown.  

On the other hand, we can look to history and see Tylenol’s masterful handling of a potentially disastrous tampering event. Their swift response was surely in part inspired by the understanding that the brand lived or died on its reputation of trust and safety. In other words, the brand demanded the finest hour of its stewards. Hypocrisy is a quality that great brands rarely forgive. Integrity – of intention, of purpose, of action – is what they require.

Before Superbowl III, quarterback Joe Namath famously “guaranteed” a victory for his team who was, at the time, 18 point underdogs. A teammate later said, “Once Joe made his prediction, we had to live up to it. His vision made it true.”

Here’s to the brands that point to the bleachers, great brands who inspire their CEOs and brand managers alike to greatness simply by giving them something to live up to. And here’s to all those who not only make a clear brand statement, but  then make it so.