Brand Matters

In banking we have a fairly strict dress code Monday through Thursday so business casual Friday is a welcome change. Today I wore standard black slacks and a red golf shirt. As I looked in the mirror I thought this looks very similar to what Tiger Woods wears on Sunday. I am an avid golfer so I quickly disregarded the idea that someone else would come to the same conclusion.

As I walked into the office I stopped by and talked to a fellow co worker, she on the other hand is not a golfer and knows very little about the sport. To my surprise her first comment was, “I am going to call you Tiger, today.” So then I began to think about the importance of brand and imaging and how much it really does matter in business.

There have been numerous books, studies, and articles done on the importance of brand and how to create a successful brand. As a former MBA student some ideas you will buy into and other ideas you think are pure fluff. However, this was a real life experience of how brand can make a person identify and think about the product. She began asking questions about golf a conversation I am sure she was not planning on having today. Sure Nike and Tiger do not walk around saying we are RED but when you see someone dresses with black pants and a red shirt you think Tiger Woods. Tiger is an icon that we should all relish and study very carefully. He has single handled changed the image of golf and possibly the image of sports marketing. If an image or a dress combination can make someone think about a product, imagine the power this has when it comes to consumer behaviors. In this case the brand helped a person connect to an idea that was unintentional but effective. What is your brand?