The Sacred. And the Profane.

Creative Director, Amber Shap, & I were commiserating about how often brilliant work gets butchered as it goes from well-crafted strategy to careless execution.

You know of whence I speak: Too many colors. Too many fonts. The logo that devoured Cleveland. But it's not just the disorganized design or visual hierarchy that goes to hell. The copy unreadable. Impact is lost. 

The Brand Bible? Trashed. Messaging becomes a hot mess.  Oy.

Then as fate would have it, Filiberto Amati's Substack article #TheCreativeDivide Why Executional Clarity Matters appeared in my in-box. And it’s well-worth a read.

"Marketers spend significant time (a might I add & $$$) crafting brand strategies, refining positioning & building insights into platforms designed to differentiate their brands," writes Amati. "Too often, by the time these strategies reach consumers, something has been lost." Amen to that!

Amati calls the disconnect between strategy & output (a.k.a. Execution) The Creative Divide.

I call it a Moses in the Desert Moment. 

You lead the people to the Promised Land, but once they cross the Jordan River & you’re denied entry – all bets are off. You wave great ideas buh-bye as multiple stakeholders seek to mark their territory. Marketing slashes budgets. Some third-party agency promising cost efficiencies fails to follow brand guidelines. An influencer does their own brand interpretation. A game of telephone ensures. And suddenly, a mishmash of unorthodox elements replaces solid strategy. Great creative quickly turns into Chazerai (junk food in Yiddish).

Amati says: “It’s clarity in execution that makes the brand memorable.”

I say it’s Consistency.

Our brains need clear, Consistently repeated messages to create distinctive memory structures in our minds. It takes up to 5 interactions before consumers recall a brand. With the tsunami of messages hitting us daily, you damn well better be Consistent.

Consistency enhances recognition. Delivers seamless & reassuring experiences. Creates trust. People don’t buy what they don’t remember. Studies show strong, 

Consistent brands increase revenue by up to 33%.

Yet brands Consistently struggle with executing it – let alone maintaining it.

Brand Consistency goes beyond logo & color scheme.

It encompasses your narrative. Your values. Your services. Your product. Your shopping experience. Your culture. Every single customer interaction, email, PowerPoint presentation & sales call contributes to the perception of the brand.

Every. Single. Touchpoint.

One out-of-place visual, clumsy layout, poorly designed website, rogue social media post or off-brand message creates confusion. Beyond being just plain sloppy, it signals you don’t care about your brand quality. If you don’t care, why should anyone else?

Your Brand Bible is not some nice-to-have. It’s a code of conduct. The law of the land. Worship it. Use it wisely & it will never lead you astray.

BTW - Consistency doesn’t cramp creativity.

It’s the foundation that gives creativity permission to soar. Allows you to take risks. Experiment. Surprise. Without ever losing your integrity.

Consider Apple, one of the most recognizable brands on the planet. Crisp, clean, meticulously designed wherever you encounter it. Yet it’s always pushing the creative envelope. Google Consistently alters their logo – that’s their brand ethos. Liquid Death is Consistently rebellious & irreverent.

Consistency requires discipline. Being the brand police. Reminding the team that the Brand Bible isn’t a suggestion, it’s scripture. & God is in the details.

That means saying “No to shiny objects”, those “wouldn’t it be cool if we…” & “let’s just make the logo bigger.” Because break a brand commandment even just once & you’re burning equity.

Brands that win aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or flashiest campaigns. They’re the ones that show up the same way, every time, everywhere.

These are the brands that understand that Consistency isn’t boring & it sure beats exciting chaos. They are the brands people flock to. Every. Single. Time. Be a good shepherd.

So yeah, we’ll keep bemoaning sloppy executions. Biting our lips when clients hand off well-crafted strategies to whoever’s cheapest.

& we’ll keep preaching the Gospel of Consistency.

Your brand isn’t what you say it is. It’s what people remember. And people only remember what you Consistently show them.