A Good Name Is Better Than a Name Brand – Branding Part 2

My dad, the king of denim

My dad has one uniform: blue denim. The only variance really is how much the denim has been faded. Older shirt/pants sets that have been washed more times go together, and newer shirt/pants sets that aren’t very faded go together. Those are saved for church and special occasions. It’s pretty easy to get dressed in the morning when blue denim shirts and blue jeans are your only choices.

He used to wear Levi’s, but that came to an end years ago when he injured his hand, and the temporary brace no longer allowed him to button his fly. Zippers were easier, so he started buying Wranglers. As it turns out, Wranglers were not only easier to put on but also cheaper, so it stuck. The change was about practicality more than anything else.

It’s a similar story when it comes to the brand of vehicle he drives. We once were a General Motors family. My dad’s 1970 Chevy pickup still bumps across fields and roads, and my mom had an Oldsmobile. After 28 years, they decided it was time for a new pickup, and what showed up in the driveway was a surprise to many of us: a Ford. But for my dad, all it meant was in 1998 he felt they were making better pickups, and he could get the features he wanted. My mom has purchased three Ford cars since the 1990s, too, not because she felt she had to but because they were what she liked.

Last week I wrote about my experiences growing up branding cattle in West River South Dakota and what it taught me about good communications. Another principle I learned from my dad about branding: A good name is better than a name brand.

My dad could not care less about brand names. And he doesn’t want to advertise for anyone either. When he buys his Wranglers, before they ever are worn, he or my mom takes off the leather “Wrangler” patch on the back pocket and as many of the smaller labels as he can. He says it just looks silly. The biggest word that’s noticeable on my dad’s wardrobe? His own name, in capital letters on the back of his belt.

My mom and dad have a pretty good brand reputation based on their own name. They are known as honest people, kind people, content people. They are the first to show up when someone needs help. They fix fences that aren’t even theirs. They have pulled the neighbor’s calf, started stranded hunters’ vehicles, and fought the forest fire threatening a neighbor’s shed. When someone is sick or has passed away, they show up with casseroles and hugs. There are no notarized contracts between my parents and other ranchers who need hay or a place for their cattle to graze. Just handshakes.

Growing up, my mom and dad were constant reminders that the things I wore or owned were not the basis of my value. When I was a teenager, this principle certainly was harder. The other kids in school had designer jeans and big words printed across the front of their sweatshirts. Every once in a while, Mom and Dad (or probably more often Grandma) gave in and bought whatever item I was begging for that I thought would make my life so much better. Of course, none of those pieces of clothing stood the test of time. Today’s teenagers have never heard of those brands.

If you’re a small business like mine, it might seem impossible to compete with the big brand names or the huge, well-known companies. But that’s probably the wrong way to look at it. It is impossible in many ways to compete with them, because they likely do something totally different, and that’s okay. What is your niche that you do better than anyone else, big or small? Maybe that’s providing hands-on, local customer service. Maybe that’s offering a unique, handmade product found nowhere else. Maybe that’s doing one thing very, very well and letting the big brand names keep their plethora of services or products.

That’s your brand, and the theme that should be at the top of your communications priority list. Your brand is your good name that distinguishes your company from others. Your brand is the way people perceive you, and it lives and breathes and changes based on how you treat your customers and the deeply held values you integrate into your business. Your brand is your reputation, and keeping your good name takes consistent and honest communications.

Now as an adult, I am so grateful my parents didn’t place value on brand names. They are why I buy jeans based on fit instead of label and drive the same paid-for boring car, even though it’s not flashy or sexy. My parents’ disinterest in brand names also gave me the confidence I needed to start this small but respected communications consulting company and not feel the need to compete with all the big advertising and digital marketing agencies in town. And now I can help you craft a message and communications plan that will reinforce your good name, too.

Speaking of being grateful, next week’s blog will explore H Squared Communications’ company value of gratitude, just in time for Thanksgiving.