Branding: The Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS) Method

Eric Schulz

The biggest branding problem most companies have is that they fail to refine their message to its most simple form. I recently worked on a consulting project for a group that had identified 17 target audiences and had crafted a discreet message for each of them! Their communication platform was a nightmare. As I sat with their senior managers, they spent three hours just trying to explain to me all the messages they felt they needed to deliver to their constituencies. Wow.

After the client finished briefing me, we started really looking at their business and I challenged them to simplify what they wanted to say to what I call "Kitchen Logic," which is a way of saying "How would two mom's explain this to each other over coffee at their kitchen table?" I also challenged them to communicate at a seventh grade writing level. When these really smart folks were forced to simplify the message, all of the sudden it was like the Red Sea parting. They developed a way of saying what they do in just FIVE WORDS! And even better, those FIVE WORDS were effective in communicating what they do to all 17 target audiences! No more complicated communication matrices. Five words. Clarity. Focus.

When you get focus, you have the opportunity to break through the clutter. See if you can sum up your brand message in just five words. It's a fun exercise!