What does your brand stand for?

I recently encountered the question, "what does your brand stand for?" In essence, what makes you different? The advice that followed the question recommended making "a list of the differences and the extremes and start with that. A brand that stands for what all brands stand for stands for nothing much."

 

I don't agree with the premise that you need to compare and contrast your business with others to discover what your brand stands for. Comparisons don't reveal the truth about who and why you are, they only reveal differences. But being different is not your goal, it's your inevitable result if you go through the process of defining your brand. When using comparisons to define your brand, you are more likely to see perceived negatives and counter them with definitions that may or may not be true. At that point, your brand is being defined by the failings of others and not by what is truly great about it. I believe the better advice is to look inward and examine your methods and techniques of doing business. What are your personal motivations? What are your learned solutions?Collecting that information will define your brand truthfully,and the differences will manifest themselves within the definition. If you are able to share with others who you are and why you do what you do, you are communicating the truth of what your brand stands for. And, if you don't like what you see,you are now in a position to develop an informed solution.