Brands Are Ideas Not Products

When Steve Jobs passed away, one of the most poignant comments I heard about him was that he didn't give us Apple computers, iPods or iPads. Rather, he gave us Apple. He gave us a meaning that we could connect with emotionally for those of us who, like Jobs, value what is promoted through Apple's theme line, "Think Different." The reason we could connect with this meaning isn't because Steve Jobs put that meaning into our belief system. It was already there. Like a good story, meanings associated with Apple are meanings that, to borrow from Orwell, "fascinate or more exactly reassure us." Apple gave us something we were already predisposed to receiving.
The reason this is an important concept is plain to see when examining powerful brands like Apple, Harley-Davidson, Disney, Nike and others that tap into and/or celebrate our existing values. But just as there are lessons from success, there are lessons from underestimating just how important it is for brands to crystallize rather than create meaning.

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A product or personal "brand" is not a label for something or someone but an idea or concept about something or someone. As the above article points out, "Apple" was not the label for the innovative products Steve Jobs created but rather the concept or idea of "Think Different". When it comes to our personal online marketing "brand",it is not the products or services we market or promote but rather the idea or concept behind what we do in our online marketing. "Brands" are ideas not products.