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Branding The Magic Bean or Field of Dreams

Written by: Ed Delia

Article Overview: A lot of company executives I talk to have Jack-and-the-Beanstack expectations when it comes to branding. They see it as a magic bean that planted in the right spot, and properly nourished, will take their sales through the roof. As we talk, however, they realize branding isn’t at all a physical phenomenon. Good branding is more like building a Field of Dreams than planting a magic bean.

Branding The Magic Bean or Field of Dreams

A lot of company executives I talk to have Jack-and-the-Beanstack expectations when it comes to branding. They see it as a magic bean that planted in the right spot, and properly nourished, will take their sales through the roof. As we talk, however, they realize branding isn’t at all a physical phenomenon. Good branding is more like building a Field of Dreams than planting a magic bean.

You know the movie. Kevin Costner plays an Iowa farmer who hears that mysterious voice in his corn field. "If you build it, they will come."

When the voices persist, Costner seeks out reclusive author Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones, to help him understand the meaning of the messages and the purpose of his field.

“What’s this have to do with branding?” you ask.

The connection is most evident in this wonderful piece of dialogue from Jones.

“People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. . . People will most definitely come.”

This insight captures the very essence of branding, and immortalizes its almost unexplainable power.

Truth is, branding taps into the subconscious will of people rich and poor. It doesn’t elicit a pragmatic decision to buy your product. It encourages people to buy into your dream. What they’re really buying is what your product represents to them: how it relates to their wants and needs, whether it is consistent with their values, whether it promises to bring their own dreams to life.

Sure, at some point people do rationalize their decision. They have to explain to their boss, or wife, or sales team why this purchase was a must-have, and represented the best choice above all others. But if good branding was the motivating force at point of sale, emotions were really responsible for the buying decision. And there is nothing more powerful than emotions - more powerful, in fact, than price, or positioning, or a dozen quick-fix promotions.

If you are responsible for how people perceive your company and its products and services, leave the beans to the bean counters. Be like that Iowa farmer and think big. Create an image of your company that people will talk about. Give them the remarkable, and they will remark about it. They will tell other potential customers about you. And nothing the competition can do will stop them.

Yes, in an internet age of instant communication, brand success can happen virtually overnight. But it doesn’t start with a bean. It starts with a dream. So start building your own field of dreams, your own uniquely compelling reason for people to seek you out. And they will come. Yes, “People will most definitely come.”

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