I don’t care WHAT your product is. I want to know WHO your product is.
It doesn’t matter if you’re selling all-natural diapers or a sleek new electric car, if you have questions about brand identity, your answer is Rob Zombie. When you introduce your product, how many sentences does it take for you to go from the name of the product to finally letting the person know what exactly it is and what makes it special? Does your brand tell people they are going to feel excited, or calm, or happy, or inspired, simply by sitting on a shelf or instagram page?
In 1998, after the breakup of his band White Zombie, Rob Zombie released his first solo album. It was a massive success and led to a prolific career making music and directing films. You may have never seen one of these films, or listened to single one of his albums, but you can probably picture what he looks like, the kinds of scares and violence a Rob Zombie film contains, and can already hear the loud drums and intense guitars of his music before ever hitting play. This is because Rob Zombie tells you all you need to know simply by introducing himself.
A Rob Zombie t-shirt looks like a Rob Zombie movie poster which looks like a Rob Zombie album cover which features images of Rob Zombie who looks like he just crawled out of his own movie. It’s all one brand because Rob Zombie is honest. He knows what he likes, and he puts it out into the world. There isn’t any smoothing out by record executives and producers, he bets on himself and he wins, a lot. His following grows because other people like what he likes. This following becomes millions of records sold and grossing over $200 million at the box office as a director.
So now, how do you make your product a little more Rob Zombie?
Okay this one is easy so I’ll just list out what you need to add: Blood, gore, violence, sex, swearing, horror, jumpscares, and the creepiest people you have ever seen in your life. Wait, that wasn’t what you meant?
Jokes aside, what your product needs is more YOU. Do you hate posting content for your social channels? It’s probably because the voice of your product isn’t your voice. Your product’s voice is some made up sans-serif corporate correct sterile JUNK, which you made yourself because you’re scared of letting your personality out. Write your next caption the way you would text a friend about your product. Or scratch that even, and use the tone you have when you tell your friend about some cool coffeeshop that just opened near your place. How do you actually communicate with others? Be that version of yourself, unapologetically. Rob Zombie isn’t just selling albums and theater tickets, he’s selling Rob Zombie.
So, who are you selling?