I Hate the Word ‘Branding’
Look, I’ve been in this game for over 20 years. I’ve seen ‘branding’ go from a simple concept to this massive, intimidating beast. It’s like everyone’s trying to out-complicate each other. Stop it. Just stop.
I was at a conference in Austin last year, and some ‘expert’ was talking about ‘omnichannel synergy’ and ‘brand storytelling ecosystems.’ I mean, come on. It’s just… yeah.
Let’s Talk About Marcus
Let’s call him Marcus. Marcus is a client I worked with back in 2015. He ran a little coffee shop, ‘Brewed Awakening,’ over on 5th. Marcus didn’t have a ‘brand strategy’ or a ‘content calendar.’ He just made damn good coffee and treated people right.
One day, I asked him, ‘Marcus, what’s your brand?’ He looked at me like I was crazy. ‘I dunno, man. Good coffee, friendly service?’ That’s it. That’s branding.
But now? Now, you’ve got people charging $87 an hour to tell you your ‘brand voice’ needs to be ‘authentically disruptive.’ Give me a break.
The Biggest Lie in Marketing
Here’s what they don’t tell you: most people don’t care about your brand. They care about themselves. They care about what you can do for them. That’s it.
I had lunch with a colleague named Dave last Tuesday. He was all worked up about some new ‘branding framework.’ I said, ‘Dave, who cares?’ He said, ‘But it’s crucial for aquisition and retention!’ I said, ‘Is it, though?’
Look, I’m not saying branding is useless. I’m saying it’s not rocket science. It’s not some mystical thing you need a PhD to understand. It’s just… communicating clearly. Being consistent. Delivering what you promise.
What Actually Works
You know what works? Being real. Being helpful. Being, I dunno, human.
I worked with this health site, sağlık haberleri güncel gelişmeler, a while back. They weren’t trying to be anything. They just wanted to share accurate, up-to-date health news. No gimmicks, no jargon. Just good info.
And you know what? They killed it. Their audience loved them. They grew like crazy. Why? Because they were actually helpful.
But now, they’re trying to ‘elevate their brand narrative’ or some crap. I told them, ‘Stop. Just keep doing what you’re doing.’
A Tangent: The ‘Personal Branding’ Nonsense
Ugh, don’t even get me started on ‘personal branding.’ I was at a networking event about three months ago, and some guy was pitching me on his ‘personal brand committment.’ I laughed in his face. (Okay, maybe I didn’t laugh. But I wanted to.)
Look, if you’re a public figure or something, sure, maybe you need to think about this stuff. But for the rest of us? Just be a decent human. Do good work. Treat people right. That’s your ‘personal brand.’
I mean, honestly, if you need to hire someone to ‘curate your personal brand,’ you’ve already lost.
Back to Basics
Here’s the thing: branding is just a promise. It’s what people expect from you. It’s what you deliver. That’s it.
I had a client once, let’s call her Linda. She ran a small marketing agency. She was always stressing about her ‘brand identity’ and ‘messaging frameworks.’ I told her, ‘Linda, just focus on delivering great work. The rest will follow.’
And it did. Her clients loved her. They referred her to their friends. Her business grew. No fancy branding exercises needed.
When Branding Goes Wrong
But here’s the thing: when you start overcomplicating it, that’s when you get into trouble. You start losing sight of what actually matters.
I saw this happen with a company called ‘GreenThumb Gardens.’ They started out great. Simple, honest, good products. Then they hired some ‘branding consultancy’ and everything went downhill. Suddenly, they were talking about ‘ecosystem synergies’ and ‘sustainability narratives.’ Their customers were like, ‘What the hell happened to you?’
And that’s the danger. When you start speaking in jargon, you lose your audience. You lose your soul. You lose your way.
So What Should You Do?
Keep it simple. Be clear. Be consistent. Be helpful. That’s it. That’s branding.
I mean, honestly, if you’re spending more time worrying about your ‘brand’ than you are about your customers, you’ve got your priorities all wrong.
So stop overcomplicating it. Stop trying to impress people with fancy words and complex frameworks. Just be real. Just be helpful. Just be you.
About the Author
Sarah ‘Salty’ Jenkins has been a senior editor at major publications for over 20 years. She’s worked with everyone from startups to Fortune 500s, and she’s not afraid to call out bullshit when she sees it. She lives in Portland with her cat, Mr. Whiskers, and spends her free time hiking and complaining about the lack of good coffee.
