Charley EM

When we think of being brave, we largely think of this as being a positive thing. I mean
who doesn’t want to be brave?! We’ve grown up consuming endless stories of courageous characters coming to the rescue of those most in need and saving the day. Hurrah! (See: Masters of the Universe).

And then we enter the world of adulting and work and the bravery thing continues to be threaded neatly through everything we do and expect of ourselves. And our brand.

But what is bravery exactly?

Let’s start by taking a look at the dictionary definition:

‘To meet or face (danger) with courage; to encounter, defy.’

Okay. So superheroes. Swords. Strength. Power-poses. Courageous catchphrases and capes.

But when it comes to branding, not all heroes wear capes! (sadly) Here’s how we might break down the definition for the business world. Brand bravery is:

• Standing up for what you believe in
• Not being afraid to rock the boat
• Having opinions on difficult topics
• Meaningful action which supports your words
• Honesty, vulnerability, humanness
• Being your true self

And why would you want to be brave with your brand?

Bravery helps clearly define who you are as a brand. It’s walking your walk. It solidifies your purpose and helps you find your people (your audience/clients/customers/network) who will ultimately help you achieve your end goal. It gives people something to grab onto – something to remember you by and something to hang their loyalty hat on. Essentially, it’s your defining difference and it proves your commitment to achieving whatever it is you’ve set out to do.

But like most things in this life, brand bravery is a (very) sliding scale.

At the one end, you’ve got your ‘low’ level brand bravery. But don’t be fooled into thinking ‘low’ is a bad thing (more on that later). Here’s what this may look like.

Low-level bravery

Think Ben and Jerry’s. Oddballs. Riverford Organic Farms. That kind of thing.

These (great) brands know what they stand for. And they’re not afraid to shout about it or to stand out in their industry. But the delivery – vocal and visual – is quite often on the cheeky or playful side of things. They’ll grab your attention with their bold, fun visuals – be that playful words or unusual imagery – and they’ve got opinions and personality. But it’s enjoyable for the end user. It’s palatable but effective.

Taking a step up from this cheeky approach is what we might call mid-level brand bravery.

Mid-level bravery

In this category, we have brands such as Patagonia, Lush, Dove, Who Gives a Crap. Brands across multiple industries but who all tip over into this next level of bravery.

These brands quite often retain some of that cheekiness from the lower levels but there’s a much higher degree of confidence when speaking their mind. They can be direct, humorous, and just a bit ‘different’. It’s engaging stuff and quite often has an inspirational edge which can tap into our own craving for bravery (cravery?).

On the visual side of things, their comms are just a bit more ‘edgy’. Euphemistic. Unusual. Unexpected. They’re likely to grab your attention but more for their minimalistic approach. Less is more. They say and show only what is needed to draw you in and pack a punch.

When we witness brands like this, we often feel empowered by their ability to show courage in tackling real-world problems. We’re unlikely to feel hugely uncomfortable on the receiving end of their comms but we get a real sense of what’s ‘wrong’ – be it a political, social or environmental issue – and we see how these brands are doing their bit to right these wrongs.

At then at the latter end of our scale, we have high-level bravery.

High-level bravery

There are no two ways about it, brands within these categories can quite often leave us feeling challenged. Shocked. Uncomfortable, even. But all for the right reasons. And we don’t love these brands any less for making us feel this way. In fact, comms within these categories show some of the highest levels of engagement and success (I think we all remember the ‘Hit me at 30mph’ campaign from the UK Government, right?!).

In this category, we have organisations such as Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, BrewDog and Bodyform. They show and tell us things which stop us in our tracks. Seals suffocated by plastic bags. Blood and gore. Harrowing facts. And forthright opinions on global topics. They call out other brands, world leaders and quite often, us. They challenge the status quo, they make us sit up and listen, and really get us thinking about things we might not even realise we’ve come to accept or often ignore.

So how do you get it right?

Chances are, you’ll have mentally placed your brand within one of these three levels.

Or perhaps you’re straddling a couple of them. You might even start to think about other brands you like – or don’t like – and where they might sit within this scale.

Whether you’re starting out or have a brand that has celebrated many anniversaries, it’s important to get this right. Your brand is a delicate eco-system made up of your organisation, your products and services, your people and your customers. It’s the bridge to your clients and customers which needs to be strong and dependable.

Step one is defining your ‘you’

What is it your organization cares about? Why do you exist? What do you hope to achieve one day or carry on achieving? You’ll likely have this stuff mapped out but it’s good to revisit this as things can sometimes go astray.

Then assess your current comms

Are they telling the story of ‘you’? If so, how?
If not, why? How brave are they compared to others in your arena? Which brands mirror the kind of comms you want to be putting out there? How could your comms be braver? What might that look like?

Have a think about your audience or client base

What do they expect of you? What do they like and/or believe in? What’s their level of bravery? Are your current audience even the audience you want to have?

Trust your gut

Which one of these levels felt like ‘you’? (or who you’d like to be as a brand). What feels appropriate for achieving your vision?

The wrap-up

It can often feel like being the most brave is the right thing to do. It taps into our inner She-Ras and He-Men (YOU’LL NEVER DEFEAT US, SKELETOR). But when it comes to your brand, this is rarely the case. It has to be appropriate for you, your audience and where you are in your journey.

If one day you’re all Comic Sans and pastel tones and the next you’re using expletives and calling out politicians, that ain’t right. Gently, gently. Pin your end goal to the wall and look at it daily but take those baby steps. And be sure to take your audience – old and new – on the journey with you. Warm them up. And every day just take things a little further towards that end goal – be that evolving your tone of voice, strengthening your colour palette or finally getting around to replacing your stock imagery with real photos of your people.

Remember – brands are essentially just people (more on that another day!). If you’re showing up in a way that feels authentic, it’ll be easier to create meaningful communications that truly resonate with your ideal audience. If you’re not quite there yet, it’s possible you might have some followers who just aren’t your tribe. As you grow your brand into what you want it to be, you’ll likely lose some of these followers along the way – and that’s perfectly fine. Because the others who show up are going to be far more engaged, and will ultimately help you get to where you’re going.

So unless you’re an entirely new brand, this is somewhat of a long game. It’ll happen but let’s not scare off your current audience with a complete personality change overnight.

Need a little help getting there?

At Something Big, we can help you find the right level of bravery for your brand and audience – whether you want to refresh your tone of voice or create a meaningful campaign that has a positive impact. Get in touch to find out how we can support you on your journey.