I have a pen that explodes. The spring is stronger than the plastic threads meant to keep it in one piece. When the tip touches paper, it is as likely to fly apart as record my thoughts. I keep it because it was sent to me as a free sample when I first started my business and I thought it was pretty cool to have my logo on a pen.  Three or four others showed up over those first several months, but this one was special. It’s the only one that explodes!

In branding, memorable is good, right? Your brand should attract attention and lodge itself in the memories of your customers. Exploding pens are memorable! Why didn’t I buy hundreds of them? 

The answer is obvious. There is nothing about cheap pens that would have helped me develop the kind of business reputation I desired. Visibility and publicity are one thing, branding is something else.  It may be true that all publicity is good publicity, but your brand must be carefully and honestly protected (even when responding to bad publicity).

Your brand is your collective reputation as a business. I say collective because it often involves your products, services, marketing, leaders, employees, supply chain, location, facilities, the entire company as a whole – more. The memories and emotions evoked when someone encounters anything associated with your company reflect your brand.

You don’t have to be the best to have a strong brand. But you must be clear, consistent, and honest.

“Save Money. Live Better.” is a proud and legitimate claim, but not while making space for boxes where your better off “associates” can donate food to fellow employees paid too little to feed themselves and their families.

“The GM Experience” becomes great fodder for the pundits and comedians once you wait ten years to recall defective ignition switches.

Coca-Cola®  recently announced its steadfast support of its biggest brand in its mission “to refresh the world, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness, to create value and make a difference” despite growing evidence that those refreshing, happy moments are indeed short and a direct path to obesity and diabetes. This is a great case of “smithing” the words to avoid a complete disconnect between the product and the noble mission. No company with a lesser brand could get away with this.

I credit luck, insight, and research in equal measure for the incredibly successful alignment of my company name with who I am and the value I deliver. When I named my company Uncommon Clarity, I made a strong and bold brand statement. I’ll confess to moments, especially in the beginning, when that boldness left me fearing streams of gibberish spewing from my mouth at inopportune times, but I couldn’t have been happier the first time a CEO introduced me to someone and then added, “and she really is uncommonly clear.” Since then, my clients have repeatedly validated my gutsy claim. It passes the test for clarity, consistency, and honesty because it is who I am.

You can’t control every situation, nor people’s reactions and perceptions. But you can control who you are as a company. You can control both your promise and how you deliver on that promise – the quality of your products, the way you treat customers and employees, your support of the community, how you handle complaints, who loses in your pursuit of greater profits, and much more. Strive for clarity, honesty, and consistency and a stronger brand will follow.

Now please help me solve a puzzle! Just what type of business would be well served by an exploding pen?