Friday, July 19, 2013

Is your brand expression inert?


Life leaps like a geyser for those who drill through the rock of inertia. 
Alexis Carrel 

Ah, inertia.  That comforting disposition into which we all are tempted to fall.

Can it be a pitfall for the brand manager?

From my experience it most certainly can.  Additionally, I have witnessed in my own work and those of others the achievement of a comfort level which leads us to rest on our laurels, churning out the same brand expression (or design or package or logo...) just because we can.

While we can sustain business for a while in this fashion, ultimately we will be found out and what I have been encouraged to do recently is to discover my own inertia and attempt to root it out like a pig sniffing for truffles.

We have a unique opportunity as brand people to reinvent ourselves as often as we want.  Without straying too dramatically from our core competence and interest we are able to direct our attention and energy in a myriad of ways.  

Sitting in a comfortable pew has very real attractions.  We feel safe.  We feel unthreatened.  We cosset ourselves in past victories and just like the sad dude in Springsteen's 'Glory Days' we never give ourselves the chance to burst free and recapture what secured us some degree of success in the past.

So if you're interested in drilling through the rock of inertia we’re ready to talk.

Are you?