Brands Have Needs, Too

From the time we could speak complete sentences, we have said it many times. “I need that.” From the coolest new car to the latest version of the iPhone, we’ve all turned toddler and proclaimed our most pressing “need.” If only we remembered the lesson our parents tried to instill – the difference between a “need” and a “want.” Because, as they said over and over as they pushed, pulled and prodded us down endless store aisles, we wanted a lot of things we didn’t really need.

Brands have wants. They want to be distinctive. They want to be remembered. They want to be respected and popular. To be any and especially to be all of those, brands need to work hard. They need to be supported. They need constant refinement and updating. They need attention.

The grand unveiling of a comprehensive rebrand is an amazing moment. But, once the applause quiets down and the handshakes are complete, what then? That is when the real work begins for a rebrand. It cannot stay in one place any more than it can continue to occupy one moment in time. For an organization to move forward, its brand must lead the way.

It takes more than time and money to nurture a brand’s progress. It takes people.

Brands need people. They need people to act as caregivers. Supporters. Advocates. Like a coveted coat of arms centuries ago, today’s brands must be worn proudly. Not just as a symbol. As a feeling. A value. A belief. A mission and a goal. Because, if the brand fails, so does the organization it represents.

There were exciting times when we were young that a want and a need finally came together. We wanted that new bicycle. And, because we’d outgrown the one leaning against the garage wall at home, the one that came with training wheels, we actually needed that new bicycle.

Brands, too, outgrow their training wheels. And to keep going, to keep rolling forward, they need people to ride them – and never stop pedaling.