The Epiphany
A brand becomes iconic not by product, but by revelation.
A brand is not a thing, not a noun. Not exactly. A brand is better thought of as a verb. An action. In order to be relevant, it has to do something, and not just pump out product or perform services. That’s not enough. No, for a brand to really matter, it has to do something to your heart.
“Iconic brands show us a different way to be in the world.”
If someone helps you, you’re grateful. But if someone changes you, they’re unforgettable. That’s the way we must think as a brand. We have to be the a-ha moment, the revelation, the attitude adjuster. Iconic brands show their community a different way to be in the world. They demonstrate new possibilities, fresh looks. They become part of the way we solve life, and that’s why we give them our money, to buy a little piece of that sigh of relief. If you let your community know that you’re not just aligned with the values they have, but that you’re actually inspiring them, they’ll want to participate in the process of revealing the world as we’re experiencing it together.
And so, if we want to build a brand that will set hearts on fire for a generation or more, it is imperative to ask, what intentions does this brand have around creating a feeling in the community? What specific insight are we trying to provoke? Nike, for example, wants you to realize that your perceived limitations are an illusion you can simply push past. That you can just do it. What are we trying to make people see about themselves?
This is how we’ll be remembered, not for what we say or do, but for how we make others feel. To cause a shift in the way someone views themself, this is the ultimate conversion.