Roy E Disney once said, “Branding is something you do to cows. It makes sense if you’re a rancher, since cows do tend to look alike. Branding is what you do when there’s nothing original about your product.” In Roy’s case, he was referring to the fact that (Disney) was already an established name that didn’t need further branding and that, in fact, they were degrading the family name. Since we aren’t Disney, branding is a very essential part of growing our tribe and our business. Mr. Disney only said this AFTER the Disney brand was rocking it. I wonder if he would have had the same sentiment had the brand not been as big as it was when he said it? It’s interesting how we sometimes reject the very thing that got us where we are, isn’t it? Had I been sitting in the audience during his speech to his Disney tribe, I would have reminded him that continued “branding” helps you stay relevant which is paramount in the war against the competition. There is a sea of noise out there. A sea of the same. A sea of murky positioning. You need to find creative ways to stand out. Good branding is one of the BEST things you can do to get someone to look in your direction. And, isn’t that the first step in convincing them to join your tribe? Or in our cow example, your herd?
