The paradox of branding is this:
You know yourself so well, you don’t know yourself at all.
It’s a mind bender, I know, but it’s pretty constant in the organizations we work with and, I believe, all organizations. On the one hand, no one knows your company better than you do. You create it, feel it in your bones, and live it every day. On the other hand, being that close makes it hard to see clearly in a way that makes it possible to articulate what the brand means – your true self – to others. Kind of like trying to take a picture of yourself in the mirror (at slow shutter speed, with shaky hands.)
Looked at from the other side, the paradox is:
A brand is known best on the inside, understood best from the outside.
That’s where Brand Discovery comes in. Continue reading
