BRAND(ing) is often a word used when it shouldn’t be for all kinds of reasons.

It gets me miffed when people say ‘we need to refresh our brand, so lets change our logo, or flyer or website’ when the brand is so much more than that.

And so Mark Earls has put out the challenge for people to go through Jan without using the ‘b-word’.

Sure it’s useful and sure it makes you feel (and seem to others) like a proper marketing bod, doesn’t it? Not least because everyone else likes to use it because…well,…everyone else likes to use it because etc etc etc.

But the word itself is a sloppy metaphor for a whole bunch of stuff (much of which isn’t entirely true) with the power to distract you from precise thinking, expression and action, (why ‘build the brand’ when you could be doing something really amazing with the service/product etc…?) so let it go…

In this instance, Wikipedia has pulled through with the goods on its definition of brand

A brand is a collection of symbols, experiences and associations connected with a product, a service, a person or any other artefact or entity.

Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as “cultural accessories and personal philosophies”.

I’ve made my pledge to not use the ‘b-word’ and now its your turn, jump over to his blog and put your name down!

Mark has released some tips to make it even easier:

1.take a deep breath whenever you feel the need to b****: count to 5 and only then speak/write
2. substitute another bword – ideally something silly like BNARD (silly encourages you to avoid)
or, of course you could try…

3. Saying more precisely what you mean…

UPDATE (12/01/2009)

Halfway though the test. So I’ve been travelling pretty well, only a couple of mentions, one in a post, BIG STUFF UP! And a couple of times in conversation, but each time I’ve corrected myself, sometimes its easy sometimes its hard. I’ve gone to write it in comments, but then changed it to things like organisation, logo, message, perception etc.

Mark Earls is avoiding it like this.

Fun times, see how we go for the next half of the month.

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