“WORDS OFFER THE MEANS TO MEANING…”
And for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth." V for Vendetta
When I was in high school my nickname was “Beast”:
Timmy, the Beast, Beehler.
That word held a ton of inferences and associations - it became a calling card (of the, “your reputation precedes you,” flavour).
Great nicknames are both endearing and informative. Think about these:
The G.O.A.T.
The Oracle of Omaha
Zuck…
(do you know these people?)
I asked you to share your nickname(s) and here's what I received back:
Boots
Wookiee
JoJo
Hemi
Tower
Dud
Ralph - (a great story that went with this one)
see hint below ⬇️
HERE'S THE ROUNDUP
I'm going to talk about:
Word Associations
Other Associations
Being known for something
Word Associations
An Emotional Approach
Being known for something is a HUGE economic advantage for your business.
What word(s) comes to mind when you think of:
Starbucks
Under Armor
Gucci
Toyota
Sharpie
This is an example of word association in branding - what the brand makes you think of: product, service, experience, feeling, result.
It's really important that people can immediately connect you brand to something - preferably something desirable and positive.
But there's another type of association that's much stronger (and much more difficult to create.
What brand/person do you think of when you hear the word:
Performance
Search
Safety
Luxury
Growth
This reverse association (when people relate a specific type of experience, result, emotion back to your brand), is incredibly difficult - but it's incredibly lucrative!
Imagine how good it is for business if every time I feel like pizza I immediately think of Jets?!
(they implement the exact right amount of too much grease)
Imagine how much better it is for business if every time I feel hungry I think of Snickers (Hungry? Why Wait).
Other Associations
Lots of ways to be you
There are lots of ways to create associations - it doesn't have to be specifically word related.
Here are a few other examples of being known for something:
Word-Based: Google owns the word Search
Celebrity-based: Dr. Dre and Beats
Character-based: Geico’s gecko
Ideal-based: Nike’s “Just do it”
Vision-based: Tom’s "Buy One Give One"
Activity-based: The North Face and adventure activities
Customer-service-based: Zappos
Being Known for Something
A little Volvo action
Being known for something is the apex of branding - when a word, feeling, experience, bring your brand top of mind.
So how do you get there?
Step 1: Decide what you want to be known for.
Step 2: decide what type of association best communicates that.
Step 3: Go all in
There's no room for lip service in establishing an association. Take Volvo for example. They wanted to be known for safety.
So what did they do?
Invented the 3-point safety belts
Introduced Side Impact Protection System (SIPS)
Idea for rear-facing child car seat in 1964 - protecting the people who mean most to us
Since 2003, Volvo vehicles have come equipped with blind spot protection
Being known for something doesn't mean word-play, it means doing what it takes to be known for something.
Have a plan, then implement.
What can you do to be known for something?
1. Association Audit
Write down all the words currently associated with your brand. This requires a bit of an audit.
Look at themes/topics you frequent
Keywords you use (hashtags/SEO/etc)
What people say about you
2. Narrow them Down
Which ones do you want to be associated with?
Which ones are truly You?
3. Word Search
Once you have an idea, utilize a tool like Related Words to help you find other potential associations.
4. Competitor Research
What is your competition known for?
Where do you differ?