When it comes to branding… everything. Love has everything to do with it.
Yesterday I read an amazing quote from Gary Vaynerchuk:
The reason we love our parents is because they loved us first. Every single company should take this advice.
I couldn’t agree more. That Gary V. is a dude after my own heart.
After all, parenting is all about heart, right?
When we parent, we constantly focus on four present and future states we want for our children:
- We want to see their HOPES nurtured and respected.
- We want to see their DREAMS fulfilled.
- We want to see their FEARS allayed or conquered.
- And we want to see their FRUSTRATIONS eased or eliminated.
We do this because we love our kids, and ultimately, we want them to be happy. We want to see them master the universe and get what they want.
When I build brands for corporations or teach branding to small business owners, this is the first place we begin. We ask the question: “What are the hopes, dreams, fears and frustrations of the clients we serve?”
Where Gary V. hits the nail on the head, though, is WHY we do this. And this is the place I most often see branding and marketing go awry…
