Brand alignment

 

“Brand alignment is the practice of bringing together what you believe with what your actions show – across your WHOLE organization. This is not just an exercise in consistent communications. It is a deep philosophy of delivering your promise and doing what you say you are going to do. It is not just a consideration for your customers or market place. It is something that can impact everything and everyone from the mailroom to the office of the CEO.”-Anonymous

Brand starts with what you believe. I’m of the opinion that we are all brand agents because we are the expressions of what we believe. The object or the person behind the belief system is really the brand. It was easier for me to understand it that way. Belief is not based on a vacuum. It is based on someone or something. So brand alignment is the practice of faith and corresponding actions. Belief is a testimony or acknowledgement of someone or something. When we take a look at the world, the beautiful creations we see, testifies or advertises that there is someone behind all these. We are tempted to think that testimony or advertisement is first. But the truth is, there is no testimony without a test or advertisement without knowledge of what to advertise.

The test or the knowledge helps us to understand the Person behind the creation of the world. Simply put, the knowledge of the creation you see is like advertisement; the understanding of the creations is like marketing strategies/communications while the wisdom of the Person behind the creation is the brand. Brand and marketing communications are spiritual while advertisement is physical. It is the ability or grace to blend the physical and the spiritual that gives an experience. The brand agents share this experience either through products or services and both to its target market for top of mind awareness, share of heart and share of pockets.

Finally, there are only two major Spiritual Brands. The best way to describe this is 1+2 = 3: 2+1=3.The former is the original brand while the latter is the breakaway brand. The breakaway brand is always anti the original brand. Two brands cannot occupy one space.  What we call the blue ocean brands are 4-1=3; 5-2=3; 8-5=3 etc. As it is in the spiritual, so it is in the physical. Every physical brand you see today, are agents of either of the two major brands or a mix of both. They all give the same result- satisfaction. But the only brand that gives true fulfillment and self actualization is the Original brand that is built on solid foundation and that consistentlydelivers on promises made to its target markets.