Why Johnny Can't Brand

I'm reading a fascinating book called Why Johnny Can't Brand by Bill Schley and Carl Nichols, Jr.  The authors advise how to "brand" your company in the form of a single, mesmerizing DSI or Dominant Selling Idea.

The example I like best in the book is a politician who talks for an hour, touching on every campaign issue he can. When asked later what the politician spoke on, an audience member replied, "He wants to raise taxes."  It's the idea that people will only hold ONE idea about you in their mind and it's up to you to make sure that one idea is your DSI.

So for me, a writer, I might advertise that my writing is funny, creative, reliable, low-cost, and I care about my clients. All true, but people can't grasp all that. What the authors purport is that I (or whomever) pick one subcategory within my industry where I can market myself as #1.  So maybe I'm the #1 creative writer in the Triad area, or the #1 funniest writer, or the #1 writer of dazzling brochures, etc. (The downside to this is you have to be able to back up your claim. You can't claim to be the funniest but in reality be as dull as dirt. There's always a catch...)

Blair and I were brainstorming some ideas the other night and came up with one I really like--if it comes off the right way. I'm meeting Wednesday with a group of writer friends to brainstorm ideas for my business and web site and I'm going to run it by them. If it passes muster, I'll post here later.

Sidenote: After we'd brainstormed over dinner, we just fell into silly mode and somehow got on the topic of how great it would be to design a web site passed on themes from past STAR TREK episodes.  So instead of real client comments, I could quote characters like Khan from the wrath of Khan. I could have this on a page that said

Client Comments About Dena's Writing:

"''From Hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.''" - Khan

Then of course there would be the pricing page where pricing is determined by how fast you need the work done.  "Warp Speed" will cost you more than "1/4 impulse power."  And the web site content reading, "Do you find your marketing pieces being sucked down a black hole or trampled by raging Romulans? Let Dena Harris--half human, half Vulcan--show you the logical way to great writing!"

We'd also have a disclaimer: "I don't work for Ferengi" with a pic of a Ferengi with a thick, red X marked through it.

Yes, this is our life. We were just cracking up  in the car on the way home, coming up with this stuff.  Some Trekie writer should take this and run with it. It's worth it just to have the Khan quote on your site. 

As for me (sigh), back to the branding book...