I was at dinner last week, reminiscing with a friend when he asked me if I knew a certain person. “You remember,” he said, “he’s the kid who had the bloody eye.” I immediately knew who he was talking about. Lots of kids had bloody noses, but only one had a bloody eye.

We could have talked about “the kid who wrecked his dad’s car before he got his driver’s license” …or the “kid who kept a goldfish in his locker at school” or “the kid who had that huge afro.” Each of these descriptions (stories) is a short cut that immediately describes a particular person. There is no ambiguity. No question who the person is. There was only one who fit the description.

Consumers do the same thing when thinking of brands. In fact, creating a short cut for the consumer to remember your product is one of the primary reasons for developing a strong brand.

That’s the brand that…

Luke Sullivan, author of the excellent book, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, defines a brand like this:

Brand = Adjective

Luke’s simple formulation demonstrates the association of a particular product with a single idea (much like Scott = kid with goldfish in locker).

Nordstrom = phenomenal customer service
Mountain Dew = Extreme refreshment
Volvo = Safety
Southwest = Low cost air travel
Papa John’s = Better pizza

And so on.

What is your brand’s thing?

What simple idea represents the core of who you are and what you do? Does it immediately help your customers remember something important about your product? And does it help you tell your brand story? Geek Squad? They’re the ones who drive black and white VWs and wear skinny black ties. Subway? They’re the ones who helped the fat guy lose more than 100 pounds eating hoagies. Fox News? They’re the ones who report the news from a right-leaning viewpoint. No other brands fit these descriptions.

If your product or service doesn’t own a particular idea, you’ve got work to do.

Successful brands need to be more like the one unforgettable kid with the bloody eye, not the dozens of forgettable kids who had nose bleeds.