This document provides guidance on branding from Marco de Boer. It makes three key points: 1) Branding starts with understanding your own beliefs and values, not your product. People will follow a belief, not another interchangeable product. 2) Your belief can be expressed through many elements of your brand, including your logo, tone of voice, core values, descriptions, and ways of acting and working. 3) Your brand elements should all stem from and reflect your core belief - if things no longer match your belief, discard them and rebuild based on your guiding belief. The belief is what provides true power and followers for your brand.

1. Marco de Boer | bohemiaamsterdam.com
BASICS OF BRANDING

2. I’M A SPONGE
@MARCODEBOER
BASICS OF BRANDING

3. I’M A SPONGE.
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Marco de Boer,
I’m the Creative Director and Founder of Bohemia Amsterdam.
And… I’m a sponge.
Everything I know today, I absorbed over the past 20 years that I’m
in advertising. It’s distilled from what I came across, what people told
me and what I read. (Not so much the last one, to be honest.)
I’m extremely interested in the world around me. It’s my source
of knowledge, a bottomless pool of discovery.
nl.linkedin.com/in/marcodeboer
twitter.com/marcodeboer
facebook.com/bohemiaamsterdam
bohemiaamsterdam.com

4. TODAY I LEAK
ABOUT
BRANDING
@MARCODEBOER
BASICS OF BRANDING

5. TODAY I LEAK ABOUT BRANDING
Just like a sponge… under light pressure I release what I absorbed.
Working with clients or giving a lecture like this is exactly
the pressure I need.
This one is about branding. What is branding and how can I brand
my company, product or service?
Let me show you where to start.

6. IN THE CHURCH
OF BRANDING,
YOU ARE THE LORD
MINDSHIFT
BASICS OF BRANDING

7. MEANING:
YOUR PRODUCT
IS NOT
MINDSHIFT
BASICS OF BRANDING

8. IN THE CHURCH OF BRANDING,
YOU ARE THE LORD. MEANING:
YOUR PRODUCT IS NOT.
Clients often ask me how to brand their product. I usually return the
question: How would you brand yourself? No, not your product. You!
We tend to look at a product as something external. Something we’ve
created. A thing. An abstract. A holy grail that everybody’s been waiting
for and that we should worship as such.
Sorry to tell you this, Sir: it’s not.
Always remember your product is a result of your actions.

9. IT’S NOT ABOUT
THE BIBLE,
IT’S ABOUT
RELIGION
MINDSHIFT
BASICS OF BRANDING

10. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BIBLE,
IT’S ABOUT RELIGION.
You should not look at your product as an item. For example: The Bible
is an important part of Christianity, yet it’s only an abstract on which
the full religion is based. There’s a way of living around the Bible that’s
‘branded’.
Dare I compare it to sneakers? Yes. Sneakers are a symbol of activity.
Different brands build different beliefs around sneakers. Nike says ‘Just
Do It’. Adidas claims ‘Impossible Is Nothing.’
The true power of your product is your belief.
The product is a direct result of it.

11. NOBODY
CARES ABOUT
YOUR PRODUCT
FACT
BASICS OF BRANDING

12. NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR
PRODUCT.
Face it: nobody cares about your product. “You’re just the next
sales person trying to sell useless extra’s to a complete and happy life.”
Then you think; “But my product is new, different. It’s the best
I’ve ever made. It will make you feel more complete, more happy.”
“Hello mister salesman, which part of ‘I’m not interested’ did you not get?”
People only care about themselves.

13. ONLY YOUR BELIEF
WILL GET YOU
DEVOTED FOLLOWERS
FACT
BASICS OF BRANDING

14. ONLY YOUR BELIEF WILL GET YOU
DEVOTED FOLLOWERS.
People like to believe in things. It’s human nature to follow a higher
thought. The rest are just empty interchangeable products. Whether you
use detergent A of B, they both wash cloth.
Your belief can create a higher thought, that extra to a shoe.
Embedded well, it will add an invisible yet tangible value to your
product.
Again: the true power of your product is your belief.

15. NOBODY
CARES ABOUT
THE SAME
FACT
BASICS OF BRANDING

16. NOBODY CARES ABOUT THE SAME.
It’s a universal given that every person is different. We all know that
full well. Yet, you probably only have one story to tell about your
product. It washes, cleans, helps, supports… whatever.
Give shape to your belief so you don’t have to explain it all the time.
The shape of your belief is what the right people intuitively will follow.
Be clear in your belief, but don’t be too strict.
You want to become a cult, not a sect.

17. YOUR BELIEF
COMES IN
MANY SHAPES
FACT
BASICS OF BRANDING

18. YOUR BELIEF COMES IN MANY SHAPES.
But how can you give shape to your belief in your product?
It’s easier than you think. Take these few examples:
• Logo
• Tone of Voice
• Core Values
• Description
• Way of Act
• Way of Work

19. YOUR BELIEF COMES IN MANY SHAPES
BASICS OF BRANDING
LOGO

20. YOUR LOGO
Let’s look at Nike. The swoosh, sometimes referred to as the Nike tick is
one of the most recognised logo’s in the world. But here’s the thing:
nobody (NOBODY!) would know it if it wasn’t loaded by the pure Nike
brand identity.
The lesson here: your logo is important, but not the most important part
of your brand.
Nike added the ‘Just Do It’ attitude. Like Louis Vutton added ‘I Am A
Rich Bitch And I Can’t Afford Fake’.
Loading your logo takes a couple of years and even more dollars.
Seriously, there are easier ways to build your brand.

21. YOUR BELIEF COMES IN MANY SHAPES
TONE OF VOICE
BASICS OF BRANDING

22. YOUR TONE OF VOICE
Take Dollar Shaving Club. Setting up a brand that challenges the
establishment of multinational manufacturers who spend serious money
to build a brand that blind men bought for years, is pretty awesome.
How did they do it? They stayed close to their belief. Spending too much
money on a piece of sharp metal, is just silly. Our product is a good, just
cheaper.
How you talk about your brand says exactly what it is about.

23. YOUR BELIEF COMES IN MANY SHAPES
CORE VALUES
BASICS OF BRANDING

24. YOUR CORE VALUES
Another example: IKEA. They set some basic internal rules. Core Values
they belief in; Togetherness, Cost-Consciousness, Respect and Simplicity.
These values are extremely important to their business and every living
soul within their company.
Set up your core values as adjectives. Imagine saying them about yourself.
“I am…”
One more thing: use words that conjure up emotions. Better to use ‘Open’ and
‘Original’, than ‘Transparent’ and ‘Innovative’.

25. YOUR BELIEF COMES IN MANY SHAPES
DESCRIPTION
BASICS OF BRANDING

26. YOUR DESCRIPTION
Take my own company Bohemia Amsterdam. We searched for years to
find one simple sentence describing what we do. Then I was asked to
join a table with leading entrepreneurs. To make sure I’d not bore my
new friends over dinner I cut it down to one simple explanation:
We sell complex stories.
It’s true: I love to sell stuff (for me and my clients), I love to simplify
complex matter (a bit nerdy), and I love creating myths (whether true
or false).
Why not try to explain what you do to your grandma?
If she doesn’t fall asleep, it’s clear enough and definitely not too long.

27. YOUR BELIEF COMES IN MANY SHAPES
WAY OF ACT
BASICS OF BRANDING

28. YOUR WAY OF ACT
If one of your core values is ‘adventurous’, you better take it all the way.
Red Bull does that. No matter how crazy the challenge is, Red Bull is
there. They don’t just drink the brand, they live it.
How you communicate, what you present, where you are seen, and how
you act all play an important role in how people perceive you. It’s all
branding.
Be yourself to be loved. Never overact unless it’s in your genes.

29. YOUR BELIEF COMES IN MANY SHAPES
WAY OF WORK
BASICS OF BRANDING

30. YOUR WAY OF WORK
Acting outside is one thing. But what happens when you’re inside?
How do you communicate with your team?
How is your office decorated?
What would be the perfect team-building exercise?
Internal communication is as important as external.
The environment you create rubs off on your employees.
They have to embody the brand.

31. YOUR BELIEF
COMES IN
MANY SHAPES,
BUT NEVER IN
REVERSE
FACT
BASICS OF BRANDING

32. YOUR BELIEF COMES IN MANY SHAPES,
BUT NEVER IN REVERSE.
So you have a logo, a website, a routine to pick up the phone. Yet it
doesn’t feel complete. Over the years it evolved into a bit of a mess.
Don’t try to just patch things up. It’s like forcing Lego onto Playmobil or
like serving Thai and Greek on one plate. It won’t work. Take a step back
and discharge everything that doesn't match your belief. Then rebuild
what is missing.
Go back to your belief whenever you need consultation.

33. BRANDING STARTS WITH YOU
MARCO@
BOHEMIAAMSTERDAM.COM
WHAT DO YOU
BELIEVE IN?