We’ve covered the concept of personal branding in the presidential elections previously, but I liked the unique take that this article had on the issue. What I really liked about the article was the way they boiled the branding concept down to a few important words. Specifically, the article said:

When you hear the name McCain, his campaign wants you to think of ideas such as ‘courage,’ ‘strength,’ and ‘victory.’ With Obama, it’s ‘change,’ ‘hope,’ and ‘authenticity.’ And, with Clinton, it’s ‘experience,’ ‘tenacity,’ and ‘intelligence.’ Millions are spent creating marketing messages that will firmly imprint these positive characterizations in the minds of the public.

Essentially, the branding words were presented not as concepts, but goals. These are the words that the candidates want you to think of when you think of them. This association of words to your brand is a concept we’ve discussed before. This is that practice taken to the nth degree. Obviously, there have been much larger concepts used by the candidates in crafting their images, but the simple words are at the center of the branding philosophy.

Returning to the title of this post, what are the branding words for your business? If you cannot readily describe your own brand, how can you expect a customer to do so? What can be taken from this is that the process of choosing a personal or corporate brand can sometimes come down the simplest and smallest details. Something as simple as deciding what words you’d like to have associated with your company can be the first step in charting a direction in creating an overall corporate brand.