Indirect Marketing

Some things can only be achieved indirectly.

You can’t be happy by trying to be happy. If you want to be happy you have to go fishing, or eat a pizza, or clean out your closet.

And when someone tells me she's "working" on her marriage, I’m pretty certain that within a few weeks her house will be crawling with attorneys and real estate agents. You want to have a good marriage? Stop trying so hard. Go to Hawaii. Play Scrabble. Or even better, leave each other alone.

Sometimes, the more directly you address a problem, the worse it gets.

It’s the same in marketing. You want to have a strong brand? Quit “branding”. A strong brand is a byproduct. It comes from doing other things right. Make sure your product is excellent. Make sure you're taking good care of your customers. Make sure your ads differentiate you. That's what builds brands.

I don’t think Apple has become a great brand by studying the sociological and anthropological foundation of brand beliefs. They’ve become great by making really good products and really good ads about those products. If that happens to stimulate the sociological and anthropological foundation of brand beliefs, well, hot damn.

Apple’s advertising always focuses on the product (okay, they once got carried away for a few months and did that “Think different” brand campaign, but it didn’t last).

The thousands of companies in America who think they’re going to be successful if they just get their “brand” right are nuts. You’ve got to get a whole lot of other things right first.

If you do, the brand will take care of itself. If you don't, all the "branding" in the world won't help.

This is an excerpt from Everything You Need To Know About Branding On One Little Page

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