Got this in an email the other day:

Read something on branding recently. Here’s the bullet points.

• Brand consistency is overrated. Doesn’t have to look the same, but has to feel the same. An element of newness and surprise is important for any brand.
• Brands should have some mystery. Customers should never understand the whole picture of a brand.

I replied:

Branding is a funny thing. Although I agree that it’s not all about the look, that is the immediate factor in determining feel. The bottom line is that a brand is about feel, like you said.

For example, Coke doesn’t care so much that their cans are red. They are MORE concerned that when you think you are thirsty you think of PURCHASING a Coke. They want “Thirsty=Buy Coke” in your mind. They don’t care that the can is red. BUT, if they convince you that “Thirsty=Buy Coke”, then how will you go from “I’m thirsty, I want a Coke” to “where can I find a Coke?” That’s when the business model of saturation of the product comes into play along with making the product easily identifiable. They want it to be as simple as possible to go from “I’m thirsty” to “I’m buying a Coke”. To do that, they need, among other things, a consistent look.

As for mystery, that’s tricky. On the one hand you want a simplistic campaign. On the other hand, if it’s too simple, there’s that mysterious element missing that is a drive of intrigue.

It’s like a good story. The story needs to be clear and not confusing. But if it’s really straight forward and no mystery, then you’re not as compelled to finish the story. Will Luke defeat Darth Vader and the Emperor or will he join them turning to the Dark Side? How will Dorthy get out of Oz? How will God fix the sin problem? The story is simple. Luke struggles with good vs. evil. Dorthy must find the Wizard so she can go home. God must redeem the world through His Son. But if that’s all there is to the story, it’s interesting, but not compelling. There must be some mystery. (I’m taking some liberty with the spiritual here…I know it’s all about the Holy Spirit convicting lives, but stick with me here about telling the story)

If you introduce a product or concept, you need consistency in what it’s about. Not it’s package…thought the package should be consistent with the product. A little mystery keeps people engaged. Too much mystery drives them away, regardless of the product or package.

In marketing, it’s all about the 4 P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Branding keeps all 4 consistent, but mystery should only be in the promotion. If there is mystery in the other 3, you lose the potential customer. Too much mystery in the promotion and only a few will settle for the others.