Defining Your Brand.

I grew up as a golfer in the 90’s and early 00’s, so naturally, I idolized Tiger Woods.

I remember being amazed at his power and his ability to shape a golf ball like no one else could.

I remember his energy. The fist pumps. His one-handed “raise the roof” after his hole-in-one on 16 at Scottsdale. The way he chased down his playoff putt at the 2000 PGA. The roars that shook the ground on the back nine at Augusta when he was in contention on Sunday.

When I close my eyes and I picture my memories of growing up watching Tiger, the thing that I always see is the black Nike hat with the white swoosh, and the red Nike shirt. It is iconically Tiger, and because of that - iconically golf.

So naturally, when I actually picked up a club and started playing as a young kid, I wanted to be just like Tiger - and that meant I wanted to look just like Tiger. Nike clubs. Nike golf balls. Nike shoes and shirts. And the black Nike hat with the white swoosh. I still wear one to this day…

See when I wore that Nike check, in my gut I felt that I could be like Tiger. I could be bold. I could be great. I could have big moments and achieve big things. I could dream about doing something bigger.

That is what the Nike check represented to me and that is how I see Nike as a brand. My gut still tells me that when I wear Nike or use their equipment, I can be great too. Maybe not Tiger great, but you get it…

Marty Neumeier (acclaimed brand expert) says that:

“A brand is a person’s gut feeling.”

It’s not your logo. It’s not your product. It’s not the service you offer. Brands go beyond what you can see or touch. It goes beyond just choosing colors and shapes to describe it.

What makes a brand is everything that comes with your business or services or even the people that represent it. The phrases they use to describe you over and over again, that “vibe” they get when they interact with you. How does it help them deeply? How does it inspire something in them? How does it empower them to get closer to where they want to be?

In short…what is the gut feeling that it gives them?

Since my childhood, Nike has pulled back on the game of golf a little. They no longer make equipment and they quit making golf balls. Outside of apparel, they aren’t even a major player in the space anymore. However, to this day I still will choose Nike over any other athletic brand no matter what sport I am playing. My gut tells me that it makes me better at what I do. Because of my life experiences with it, the brand inspires me and I think it actually empowers me to be better.

So how do you define a brand? Well if you are the owner of it…then you don’t. Marty would say “It’s not what you say it is. It’s what others say it is.”

The collective opinions of the consumers of your brand, their gut feelings, define it.

What are you going to do today to make your business’s brand a memorable one?