Patience is a (Branding) Virtue
“He that can have patience can have what he will.”
While many don’t consider Benjamin Franklin, the source of this quote, to be a master in branding and brand strategy, but the inventor of bifocals touched on a very important brand lesson when he spoke these words.
Simply put, brand development is a practice in patience and the ability to stay the course. When creating a brand, especially during the strategic development phase, the end goal may seem a million miles away. Along those lines, there may be some bumps in the road on the way to success, which will undoubtedly cause some to begin wondering if and when the strategy should be abandoned.
That time should be the last thing on the mind of those working on the brand’s development, as they should instead be focused on staying the course, allowing the brand time to build and grow into the final draft that everyone is working toward.
And while it is marked with very specific, brand-boosting moments such as logo reveals and brand name launches, it is important to not get sucked in to the mindset that these momentary brand bumps are a long-lasting sign that the brand has reached is pinnacle.
In a recent article, Fred Moore touched on this very topic, discussing how, despite the normal expectation of short-term success, establishing a strong brand isn’t a quick fix:
“I tell clients that based on my experience, it takes about three years for a brand to become vested in the minds of the customer,” he says. “Clients tend to feel pressured to produce more short-term results. It is your job to keep the client ‘on strategy’ for the sake of their brand.”
Moore’s mention of consumer mindset is a key point in why brand patience is crucial. The marketplace is filled with similar brands to yours, and as such, it can be easy for consumers to blend them all together or get confused to which brand is which – at least at first. For those brands that have a solid foundation in place and have successfully created a brand that differentiates itself form the competition, finding a space in the consumer consciousness will be achieved quicker, albeit still not right away.
Touching on Franklin’s quote one more time, we see that he ends it with “can have what he will.” In other (branding) words, patience also allows for a brand development that shoots even higher than a short-term-focused brand. if you are in the mindset that time is your friend , not enemy, your brand will have more time to really expand its definition of success.
So when starting to develop a brand, be sure to always keep one eye toward the future, as that is where you will find true brand success.
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