Brand = Experience

new or growing businesses today need a brand which will resonate with their targeted market segments and individual customers.  this brand if well thought out and professionally implemented can provide some measure of competitive differentiation, at least for a period of time.

i say "for a period of time" since although brands are not necessarily as volatile as products, services, competition, or market spaces, they are subject to deterioration over time.  take the Volvo car brand for example. years ago it was the "safe" choice for commuting with your children.  it was the box that was claimed to withstand the threats of the driving world and it was the choice for many young mothers.  however over time, the competition caught up in the safety arena (new cars often have 25+ safety features) and all cars have begun to look similar due to fuel efficiency aerodynamics.  the homely safety car's brand identity was and is significantly challenged.

but back to brands and experience.  most of us will hire a professional to envision, design and shape out brand.  there are many professionals in the field who can provide excellent assistance and guidance while working with your leadership team.  when they are finished, you have a brand; or do you?

yes you do have one piece of a brand, the market facing fancy colored graphic and possibly a catch phrase, but you don't yet have the soul of your brand.  the soul of the brand is based upon customer experience, those minute by minute and hour by hour customer transactions which occur, often without thought, throughout the business day. every one of those transactions forms an image of your company in the mind of the customer.  collectively those customer thoughts and experiences form the soul of your brand which is communicated and discussed 24 hours a day on the social media networks throughout the world.

brand is not just a graphic and a message, it is also the "collective community thought" based based upon the one or thousands of transactions your business conducts each and every day.  each transaction, each customer interface or assignment must be treated as if it is a piece of your brand -- because it is.