Sting, Bono and building a brand
The Davison Files
By Marc Davison, Monday, June 2, 2008.Sting. Dylan. Neil Young. Bono. Jagger. Good singers. But what really sets them apart is their unique vocal quality. Before their lyrics penetrate you, before their melodies mesmerize you, the sounds of their voices draw you in.
It sets them apart from everyone else. It's their differentiator. Their brand.
Your first brand touch point
Your voice is your brand. It needs a unique sound. Especially today where it's first "heard" -- online, in the written form.
Your voice appears like notes on a piece of sheet music. On your Web site. Your blog. Seeping out through every comment you leave, every Twitter update, text and instant message.
It is the very first touch point of our brand.
Despite the fact that it's inaudible, you're Internet voice can speak volumes about who you are, what you think and what you stand for.
The more we resort to self-publishing tools that act as loudspeakers for our collective voices the more our individuality -- our timbre, our unique voice -- gets raked into a big pile of visual similarity, denoted by the few font styles and sizes we all use.
The result, upon that very first impression, is that our distinctive and unique voice is overlooked.
Like scents, companies have paid intense attention to the caretaking of their written voice by focusing on its sight and sound.
Apple uses a custom Myriad Pro font. They also structure their message using simple, staccato sentences -- More Power. Thinly disguised. -- rather than long-winded, descriptive narratives.
British Airways crafted their written voice with the use of a customized Mylius font that stands as an immediate identifier. Had I written this post using Mylius, you'd have recognized their voice first, not mine.
The chime of your brand
Your written voice can often lay flat on a page with long sentences and fat paragraphs. They can drone on, verse upon verse, never peaking, never arriving, never breaking for the chorus.
Your written voice can stutter by virtue of repetition, saying the same thing over and over, drilling the same point home again and again and again and …
Your voice can be too loud. It can overwhelm and project off the page through bold fonts, rainbow colors, styles and sizes that scream at the reader and muffle the otherwise beautiful tone of your intent.
Your written voice can have an accent. It can ring like a Southern belle. Cut with Euro precision, and generate nuance by virtue of its own personalized ding.
When your written voice rings, your brand chimes.
Dear Ketel One Drinker:
In the film"Get Shorty," Bo (Delroy Lindo) threatens director Harry Zimm, who refuses to cough up a screenplay for Bo to produce. Bo believes he can easily write his own. All it takes are some lines of description, dialogue and a few commas. We all know better. It takes far more than that to move an audience. Move a story. Evoke a sense of meaning. Or build a brand.
Your written voice, like its spoken counterpart, if presented properly, can have an even longer lasting effect. Here are a few ideas:
Create a brand-identifying font that is different from the standard Times New Roman, Arial or Verdana everyone else uses.
Pay careful attention to where your written voice is placed on the page and how much space it occupies. Ketel One Vodka has.
Be as selective as possible when it comes to the words you use. Every word, every comma could or could not convey the essence of what your brand stands for.
This is the beginning of the birth of your brand. Welcome.
Marc Davison is a partner at 1000watt Consulting. He can be reached at marc@1000wattconsulting.com.
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Submitted by Catherine Read on June 3, 2008 - 3:41am.
Excellent points on the nuances of branding. I would add that it's important to start the process by finding your authentic voice and discovering for yourself why you've chosen to do what you do. Branding enhances what it is we offer, but it's not a replacement. Before packaging the offer, it's important to be able to know and name for ourselves what's inside. This can be a challenge for real estate professionals who number over a million now. As you wisely point out, technology has made it easier to articulate those things that make what we offer unique. Consumers see thousands of branded messages a day and have learned to sort out those that ring true from those that ring false. I agree that hitting all the right notes has a huge impact.
Submitted by Mary Bargteil on June 3, 2008 - 4:59am.
If only I could compose this message in Palatino Linotype and sign off with my signature font, Viner Hand ITC. Certainly, the voices you note are memorable and distinctive. Just as Richard Nixon and Fran Drescher have distinctive voices. I've been working with agents to discover what distinguishes their skills and service for the particular market place that they serve, and that is what is key; the audience. Who are you attempting to reach and what is the most important thing they need to know about you when choosing a real estate agent? With applause for the right notes orchestrated for the right audience while remaining authentic and meaningful!
Mary Bargteil
Director of Communications
Champion Realty
Submitted by Victor Lund on June 3, 2008 - 6:13am.
Excellent Guidance Marc.
I also enjoyed your post about having a ‘brand scent’. It has been a game of ours to identify any brand advertising that conjures up a discernable scent. The closest that we have come so far is the Carl’s Jr. ad….’Don’t bother me, I’m eating.’ Oddly, we are not able to recall smells of companies who ‘sell smell.’ Like Downy Fresh et. al.
The best one that I can come up with was Johnson & Johnson’s shampoo – but I think that is due to some deep seeded joy of taking baths as a kid.
Victor Lund
Partner
WAV Group
http://waves.wavgroup.com
http://www.wavgroup.com
Submitted by Lane Barnett on June 3, 2008 - 6:37am.
What a store of soaring metaphors, grand analogies, and flowery language. There's little here of practical use to brokers or agents but it would be great for a 200 level marketing course.
Submitted by Marc Davison on June 3, 2008 - 6:40am.
Books are often judged by their cover. Homes judged by their curb appeal. Even these articles on Inman are immediately judged by the score we see right under the headline.
Far too often in real estate, brands fail to seize the moment. They fail to craft individuality. They fail to measure how their actions might be deciphered by their audience.
Marc
1000Watt Consulting
Turn On!
Submitted by david dweck on June 3, 2008 - 7:03am.
Awesome post! Branding is essential marketing in real estate and your "voice print" makes a huge difference in person and on the phone.
David Dweck
“Doing Deals Daily ”
Work smarter, play harder TM
www.bocarealestate.net
www.ezequityloans.net
www.housesboughtcashfla.com
www.mountaincreekvistas.com
Submitted by Stacey Pfeifer on June 3, 2008 - 4:14pm.
where do i sign up for a Marc Davison marketing course?!
Submitted by Marc Davison on June 3, 2008 - 5:07pm.
Here is the practical take away Lane - What you write, how you write, is a brand tonch point. Perhaps the most important today since your voice in sampled online in the written form.
Taking a great deal of attention to the words you use and the style in which you offer it should be attended to with the same air of importance as graphic and content.
I believe this to be critical for brokers and agents who are using template websites, template newsletters and content not their own.
Not sure how that got lost in the sea of metaphors
but if I failed to make my case clear - what a fitting/ironic prelude to this piece.
Marc
1000Watt Consulting
Turn On!