http://www.risingabovethenoise.com Brand specialist and Fast Company blogger takes one of his most popular posts and converted it into an easily referenced piece for all CEOs, marketing personnel, entrepreneurs and brands.

1. “Cookie cutters
are for baking,
not branding”
and 9 more insights to transform your brand
by David Brier

2. A day that goes by without breaking some
sacred branding rule is a day your brand has lost
TO Rise above
the status quo.
1

3. By breaking those rules with insight,
intelligence and innovation,
you get heard
(in a world that's too damn busy to listen).

4. We know there are thousands of ways
to solve any problem and that the only
valuablesolutionsare the effective ones...
2

5. Doing something ineffective in half the time — or "more
efficiently” — isn't progress, but is instead bad business.

6. Socialmedia isn’ta brand strategy.
Social media is a channel.
While it’s important for a brand to develop something to say,
it’s more important to create something
that will be heard.
3

7. 4
History is filled with
inferior productsoutselling superior ones thanks to better branding.

8. Only superior branding has the power
to overcome and reverse this.
Superior products deserve superior branding.

9. 5Consumers and clients have
a first momentwhen they discover a brand.

10. 5Consumers and clients have
a first momentwhen they discover a brand.
It’s this
defining momentthat establishes expectation and perceived value.

11. (Deliveringonthatvalue
willdetermine
whetheryourcompanythrives
ormerelystumblesalong.)

12. 6 People never got passionate about
mediocre& average.
Thisiswhythereisnoaisleinagroceryordepartmentinastoreor
menuonawebsitefor“averagestuff”or“beigeproducts.”

13. Whileconsumersandclientscanfind
“bestdeals”or“naturalfoods”or“artisangoods,”
onedoesn’tfindanaisleorawebsitemenutabfor
“averagestuff”whichexplainsthis:
whilevanillaisnecessaryfor
theicecreamsundae,
it’sthehot fudge weall
crave(andtalkabout).

14. 7
Brands that use clichésto promote their
brand end up promoting their category, not their brand.

15. 8
Growthandbranddominance
iscreatedbyhaving
thehighestbrandvalue,
not the lowest price tag.
Onecanalwayssellsomethingbyofferingthelowestprice.

16. pricedoesnotcreateloyaltytoyourbrand.
Neverdidandneverwill.
Itonlycreates"loyalty"tothat price point. Assoonasyourcustomer
isofferedabetterprice,heorshewilljumpship,leavingyoulike
ascornedloverinthemiddleofthenight.

17. 9
Brands are built on either
reruns or
coming attractions.

18. The future has no road map while the past clearly does.
Creatingabrandthatblazesnewtrailscansometimesbebumpy
butwillalsoallowyoutobethefirsttodiscoversomethingnew,
somethingmeaningfulandsomethingthatmakesothersask,
“Why didn’t we think of that?”

19. Design, copy and art direction: David Brier
use these 9 points to
outsmart, outperform and
outmaneuver your
competition
follow him on twitter here:
David Brier

20. “cookiecuttersareforbaking,not
branding”copyright:davidbrier
learnmoreabout
brandinghere:
risingabovethenoise.com