Brands and BullS**t. Excel at the Former and Avoid the Latter. A Branding Primer for Millennial Marketers in a Digital Age.

Like what is your mission, what are your values, what is your brand strategy, who is your target customer, what’s happening with the competition, what’s your business model and what kind of marketing campaign will be effective in meeting your strategic company goals.

Ground your brand identity in emotional values that set you apart from the competition and resonate with your consumers. Product features and claims of efficacy should be used only to support those values. Give long-term customer relationships priority

CREATE A NEW CATEGORY.

Very simply: Brand ≠ Bullshit; Brand = Relationship. To take it a step further: Brand = Relationship = Trust = Value. If you can help the customer internalize the “value” of your product and create that powerful customer feeling that there is no replacement for your brand, then you are well on your way to building an amazing brand.

BE THE EXPERT.

over short-term sales. While this is a widely accepted notion, the pressure to demonstrate immediate return on investment and the traditional managerial imperative to reach for top-line revenue goals lead companies to put sales ahead of relationships. Leaders need to resist the urge to chase the sale, and their best defense is a firm commitment to

YOU HAVE TO SATISFY MY NEEDS. The middle level of the hierarchy is about how easy it was for the customer to have their needs satisfied. This is all about the effort that they need to expend getting what they want. A great experience in a customer’s eyes is getting what they want with the least possible amount of effort. Minimizing physical movemen

OWN A NICHE AND THEN EXPAND.

To create valuable, sustainable customer relationships, great brands don’t sell customers on contracts—they seduce them with emotional connections. Impactful, memorable, emotional connections lead to true brand loyalty.