What are brand blisters? Here is a personal experience to clarify this very real symptom of continuous hard work throughout the year. My last week in the office for 2011 I sent the same proposal to a client three times. After receiving the first proposal he returned it to me asking me to correct the date, which I then duly did. He returned the second copy and again the date was wrong! And, if you can believe it, the third also needed a date correction. I apologised profusely, but he was very kind about it, saying, ‘Hey, that’s just end-of-year blisters’.
‘End-of-year blisters’ – it’s the perfect metaphor for those of us who feel like it was a steady marathon from January to December – we ended the year low on energy and inspiration – and what about our brands? Yes, our brands suffered from end-of-year fatigue too. After months of exposure and hard work on our behalf, our brands also needed to take a break.
Allow your brand to take a break at the end of the year – and find ways to take short ‘refresher’ breaks at appropriate times through out the year. Just like top athletes need to rest and recoup, so do our brands. Not only will this break rejuvenate you, it will more than likely benefit your brand as well.
5 tips for a successful brand break:
- Take a break from social media – your absence will be intriguing and your mind will have the chance to reset itself.
- Take in something stimulating or maybe something you don’t usually do. Visits to the theatre or to museums could inspire you and result in new branding ideas.
- Spend time with loved ones; they are, after all, your biggest fans and nothing will recharge your batteries quite like some care, nurturing and good old fashioned family time.
- Keep your journal/notebook close at hand. Inspiration may come at any point – doodle, reflect, write poetry or even write new brand stories. Don’t make this the purpose of your down time but if inspiration strikes you need to be prepared.
- Above all, be safe – we want to see you and your brand strong and ready to hit the ground running in the new year.
A re-tweaked brand identity, from great ideas that occur to you in a state of relaxation, can only result in a refreshed and strengthened brand
