Brandbite #19 Conformity will eat your lunch. Creativity will land your brand. Those who devise truly memorable Brain Tattoos are extremely creative. People don't respond to boring and when they don't respond, they don't buy! The "poor me" branding buffoons, the ones who think their brand point of distinction is their great service, their fine people, or the fact they are a one-stop shop, end up whining all day about their weak brand. Customers expect those things and everyone claims them. Branding is about being noticed, being heard, and standing for something pretty darn cool.   ·Are your communication materials ho hum, boring; do they have strong similarities    to your competitors' in look, feel, and content?   ·Do you spend good money on bad, boring advertising that yaps for days about    features and things your customers don't even care about? It costs organizations more to make an impact on a mind when they sing the same song as everyone else. Buyers get confused and they don't see you or your brand as special. They see you as another dumb commodity. Not good. A Brain Tattoo is special in the minds of the market and is not watered down by streams of sameness. You can do this. It just takes a little brand will power and some creative ways of approaching your business. So how do you go from "not feeling particularly creative" to "a creative genius"?   ·Look at problems in many different ways.   ·Make your thoughts visible.   ·Produce lots of ideas.   ·Create novel combinations. For more on creativity, read Chapter 4 in Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands that Stick in Your Customers' Minds, by Karen Post. Brand on!

Karen Post helps organizations and professionals prosper with a powerful brand. She is a 20-year branding enthusiast, professional speaker, and author of Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands that Stick to Customers' Minds. If you’d like to learn more about branding, read her monthly column at Fastcompany.com and visit www.brandingdiva.com. You may also call her at 813.250.1730.