People hate poetry*. But people also think branding sounds sexy, which is funny because poetry and branding have a lot in common. In fact, I’ve always thought of myself as a business poet and my job as poetic branding.
Poetry is defined as ‘The art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.’ Successful brands need to connect with people in precisely that way.
So how does a self-professed business poet approach branding?
For me, poetic branding happens by weaving together stories from one glimmer of information and inspiration at a time. Sometimes that’s observation, sometimes data, and sometimes revelation. It’s a process that requires being hopelessly curious about everything and everyone, striving to understand the deepest human truths, and examining those insights with reverence.
Then comes the agonizing process of distillation — editing and refining all those inputs until they are at their most potent. It’s a process that’s both exhilarating and exhausting, but it’s always worth it.
How does poetic branding impact companies?
I believe brands can and should be forces of good in the world. At their best, brands can benefit not only people but also drive positive change in society. As a business poet, it’s my job to understand the good a company does, and how exactly it does it. Once I understand it, I have to help teams express it in a way that’s true to the business’s culture, and that all staff can understand and activate. And sometimes, it’s my job to remind a company of who we are and what we stand for by speaking truth to power, just like a poet does.
Now, poetic branding doesn’t mean every brand has to shout about the good they do. Some brands are like Ben & Jerry’s and have outspoken social activism at their core. Some brands are like the United Nations and seek areas of agreement to drive international peace and security. Other brands seek to make life a little easier, a little safer, or a little less wasteful – those brands do good as well, just on a different scale. If a brand is truly terrible and does nothing positive for the world, or does vile things and has to do good only to compensate, poetic branding (and I) can’t help you.
Ultimately, your brand is what someone believes about you and whether they believe in you. It’s whether someone welcomes you into their home. It’s whether you reach their heart. It’s whether they would defend you in a time of need.
I don’t understand branding that’s not poetry at its core. It’s probably a function of how my brain works (which notably, my college physics professor said he didn’t understand). I’m sure there will be some algorithm to figure it out someday, to make branding beauty out of air. But until there is, I’m sticking with poetry.
*I know not everyone hates poetry — I certainly don’t. But go with me here, you know it’s true more often than not.