I’m a pretty chill gal.

When politics comes up at a family gathering and things get heated, I just sit back, sip my pinot noir, and observe. Because ain’t nobody gonna win that battle and I’d rather save my energy for other things, like tearing into the dessert.

It’s hard to get me all worked up.

Except, that is, when it comes to brands and their copy—particularly when I see businesses ignoring the fundamentals.

When I drive past a highway billboard with way too many words on it, it takes all my willpower not to roll down the window and throw something at it.

When I read a website that sounds like a robot wrote it, I have to hold myself back from informing the company via email that their copy royally sucks.

There is one brand pet peeve of mine that rules them all, though:

When I see companies that don’t bother to stand for something beyond the widgets they make.

I’m talking about the ones that can go on and on about their product or service features all day, but don’t relate to people on any sort of emotional level.

Why does this annoy me even more than my toddler whining for snacks, WHEN HE LITERALLY HAS A SNACK IN HIS HAND?
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Because when your company doesn’t tap into the power of human emotion, you’re missing out on the real power of branding and copywriting.

For example, Nike sells shoes. But they’re not going around banging on about how they make all kinds of shoes, the best shoes, in any color you want.

No...their tagline we all know is, “Just Do It.” They sell shoes but they REALLY sell determination and resilience and fight. That’s what they stand for and you’ll find that emotional hook driving much of their communications.

That’s not to say that Nike couldn’t or shouldn’t ever talk about the tangible qualities of their shoes, but it shouldn’t be the end point.
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Why is it important for your brand to believe in something bigger? I’ll give you 3 rock-solid reasons.
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1. Standing for something is how you differentiate from the 979 other businesses doing the same thing.

If you’re a cupcake bakery owner and there are 3 other cupcake bakeries in town, chances are you’ve all got signs that say “Delicious cupcakes sold here.” In the eyes of a potential customer, you’re all the same.

But when you change your sign to say, “Life’s too short to skip dessert” or “Sugar is not a crime,” now you’re boldly branching out and standing out.

Planting a flag in an emotional, not product-based, territory pulls you away from the crowd and into a unique space in the mind of potential customers. By sharing what you believe in, people associate your brand not just with cupcakes (or whatever you sell), but with a distinct point of view.
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2. Standing for something makes your brand matter to people in a far bigger way.
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When you connect with people around something they believe in, that translates into them liking you, which translates into them trying your product or service.

Remember Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, when the company known for white bars of soap suddenly stood up for the attractiveness of real women?

The reason the brand skyrocketed in sales (to the tune of millions of dollars) is because that message connected with consumers far more than any claim about moisturizing cream ever could. People’s hearts, not their heads, told them to go give that soap a try.

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3. Standing for something gives your brand a creative platform to play with for years to come.

Just Do It. The Campaign for Real Beauty. Think Different. All these emotional brand territories have turned into decades’ worth of effective advertising.

Knowing your brand’s point of view gives you some constraints, in the very best way. Every piece of communication you create now has a “North Star” to help you remain consistent and memorable in your messaging. It’s a well you can keep going back to, again and again.
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So, where does all that leave you? Do you know what your brand is REALLY selling from an emotional perspective?

If not, it’s just a matter of doing a little soul searching.

Ask yourself the following questions:

> What the functional problem your business solves, for whom?

(i.e. Coco’s Cupcakes offers delicious sweet treats for locals who need a break.)

> What’s the emotional problem your brand solves?

(i.e. People feel sinful when they eat a sweet treat but Coco’s gives them permission to eat sweets without shame.)

> What does your brand hope to change in the world?

(i.e. Coco’s Cupcakes dreams of a world where no one beats themselves up for having dessert.)

> What big question are you willing to ask / what conversation can you start?

(i.e. When did eating a cupcake become a crime?)

> What do your customers not seem to realize that you wish they did?

(i.e. Sugar isn’t as harmful as you think.)

Let yourself write a bunch of answers to each question. From there, review everything you’ve written and pick out the message that feels the most powerful, compelling, and original. It should feel like a big belief. Something you’d hold up on a sign in a protest.

In our example, Coco’s stands for shameless eating of sweets. A tag line might be, “Sugar is not a crime.” I can see how this would lead to some interesting creative work, right off the bat.

So…what does your brand stand for? I’d love to hear. Let me know in the comments or better yet, share it on Instagram and tag me @jenn.aspinwall.

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