Marathon Training for Brands

It came to mind as I sit contemplating my new marathon training schedule. After recovering from a brush with Achilles Tendinitis and going through a few hundred dollars trying to FIND the right running shoe, I am back on the road and realizing what it feels like to be "lapped" by a better trained runner. You never get over the feeling of running 20 miles. My Achilles injury, along with a myriad of other nagging and effectively disabling injuries, served as the perfect Grim Reaper for my 2010 running schedule. After over 6 months of training for the White Rock Marathon, I had to withdraw and do what runners hate to do; sit and recover. What does this have to do with your brand? Everything!

All business owners should think like distance runners. What ever the distance, let it be a "distance" that you are focused on. At least I HOPE  that you are focused on the long race. This is where you will find all of the worlds great brands; out on that eternally long run where longevity, strength and endurance are the benefits. Great brands are not built by sprints or sitting still.

Okay, this is a definitely a subject deserving of a higher level of contemplation and action. However, my job is to get you thinking in a way that will help you build your business. That said, this contemplation has all to do with my recent failure and failures I see in a lot of small businesses. I did not train properly, allow my body to adapt to the new workload and lastly, I was just plain going about it the wrong way. I ran through the pain, tacked on mileage like a mad man and never gave pause to reflect or recover for that matter. I lost a lot of weight to but couldn't barely walk each morning. Running a marathon requires you to be proactive about your health in a holistic sense just as you should be in respects to your business. The process of constant evaluation, adaptation and repairing is just as important as mileage and pace training. Your brand's health and performance is synonymous.

You push your brand out the door everyday and it, fit or not, races to each of your customers, potential customers and competitors. How well is your brand performing? Has it got the "muscular support" by way of other collateral design elements? Is that brand running the correct race or on the right course? Is that very hopeful brand falling apart once it gets to your customers? Lastly, is it's performance being outpaced by a better prepared competitor? Now I really don't like being out paced. These are thoughts we all can use to relate better to our brands. In this space it is very useful being that coach and trainer that knows his or her student and works to fine-tune their performance to win races. Your brand is a living and breathing member of your company. Treat it with care and dedicate time to evaluate and develop it for the long run.

Here is a helpful link that offers some good ideas on branding.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have questions about how we can assist you in your process.

Branding Ideas