BML - Edition 23
Fractal thinking for branding
Subpart 1 - Intro to branding
You have a brand. If you're in business, you've got no choice. The question is -- what is my brand?
And digging deeper . . .
How strong is my brand?
How aligned is my brand?
Am I doing anything that might break my brand?
In the remainder of this series on Fractal Thinking, I'll help you answer those questions. In doing so, you'll strengthen your brand and win customers who love what you do and pay happily.
So far, we've applied Fractal Thinking to:
1) Creating new products
2) Maximizing revenue
3) Customer research
I'll publish those editions to my website soon, but at least get caught up on the introduction to fractals. That article will train your eye to spot fractals.
Now, let's explore Fractal Thinking for branding.
Think of a city. Think of New York City.
Have you ever met somebody from New York, and you instantly know they are from New York?
It doesn't matter if that person is a man or woman, white or black, old or young. There's something about them. Something about the way they talk. Something about the way they move. Something about their social interactions.
Yes, people from New York sure have a "New Yorkness."
The question is -- that New Yorkness -- what the heck is it? How do you categorize it?
It's not something you can describe scientifically. And it's not psychology. No, New Yorkness can't be reduced down to chemicals inside our human brains.
It's all around us. In the air. External, not internal.
The best way to describe New Yorkness might be cosmic. That's why I sometimes refer to what I'm about to share as "cosmic branding."
Right now, you may be raising an eyebrow, thinking, "Billy, that Californian. Here he goes, getting all woo woo."
First of all, I may live in California, but I'm from Virginia, and we're very grounded. Second, I ask only this: Judge what I'm about to show you based your direct experience.
As you read below, ask yourself: Does this ring true? Does this match my lived experience?
I don't need to prove to you the sky is blue. You just know. I think you'll feel the same about fractal branding.
Let's start now: Does the New York example ring true? Ever met someone and you instantly knew they were from New York, LA, or Chicago?
This city example comes from a symbolism expert named Jonathan Pageau, and it's the best way I've heard to explain the fractal nature of identity. I hope what I share in this newsletter builds upon Pageau's work.
For our purposes, the New York example is incredibly helpful for understanding brand identity.
But we need to see the New York example visually. If we can model this example, we can use it as a template for branding our business and products.
We'll start with the basic model and work toward the New York example.
I previously shared a visual showing our model of meaning. Let's bring it back to show how it applies to brand identity.
Simple, right? Don't be fooled. It explains everything.
Our model shows meaning at the top and the individual components at the bottom.
For example, I'm a runner. Let's look at running using our model of meaning
Notice how our default these days is to think of running as its components? Running is your speed, distance, heart rate, etc.
In our scientifically minded society, we naturally reduce things down to their parts. In doing so, we miss the whole. That's why Fractal Thinking can feel so foreign.
When we reduce running to its parts, we strip away its meaning. That's why when I started tracking everything in my run, it nearly ruined running.
When someone uses that word "just," be warned that they are about to strip away something's meaning.
Saying running is "just" your speed, pace, and calories burned is similar to saying, "New York is just building, trains, and people."
But we've already established New York is more than its parts. Our experience tells us there's something bigger. People from New York share that New Yorkness.
So you can't reduce New York to its parts.
Science can't describe this transcendent, invisible quality. But our model of meaning can. I'll be using different terms for the top and bottom sections, and I wanted to give you a visual that shows those terms.
See the commonality between the words on top versus those on bottom?
The specific words don't matter so much. Heck, this structure is so foundational that it's difficult to describe with words. That's why it's best taught visually.
Okay, we finally arrive at our New York City example. Here's how it looks using our model of meaning.
No, you can't see "New York." But you can see the embodiment of it.
You can see NYC's spirit embodied by the people who live there. Yes, New York is real. Not in the sense that you can see it under a microscope (you can't), but in the sense that it has agency over us. It influences our behavior and, as a result, our world.
Your brand should do the same thing.
Let's study another example. Imagine you drive to your local ice cream shop and in line outside, you see twelve teenage boys.
You might call these boys a group.
But now, you notice they're wearing the same green jersey with a white eagle stamped on the chest. Now what do you call these boys?
A team.
Why? Because they have a shared identity. The boys have embodied the spirit of their school team. They've literally pulled that identity over their heads and onto their shoulders.
Just as New Yorkers embody the spirit of New York, these boys embody the spirit of their school's baseball team. If one of these players does a good job of demonstrating the values of the team and school, everyone looks at him and says:
"He's got school spirit."
Here's a visual of the baseball example. We're using my favorite major league team, The Baltimore Orioles.
(I'm proud to say the O's finally had a good season, and I'm no longer embarrassed to talk about them.)
The players on the team embody the spirit of the Orioles. Being an Oriole stands for something. There is history and legacy and when you put on that Orioles jersey, you inherit those qualities. You might even say you have an obligation.
Picture that Orioles logo above as pouring its spirit into the players.
You'll see this relationship all the time in marketing imagery. Check out this Orioles media guide I found.
Look familiar?
The visual matches up pretty darn well with our model of meaning. The logo (spirit) is on the top, and the embodiment of that spirit (the players) is at the bottom.
Now, sometimes you will see the logo on the bottom of these images, but it doesn't feel natural. Ever notice that?
Okay, this series teaches Fractal Thinking, so how is this approach to branding fractal?
Identity is fractal.
Here's the Cell to Country example I showed in the intro to Fractal Thinking. It's a great example of a fractal pattern.
Similar to Russian nesting dolls, you discover an identity within an identity.
Notice how each level has a unique identity?
For example, you, a human being, have a unique identity. I'm Billy. Going up a fractal, we reach my family, The Broas Family.
My family might arrive at an event, and I'll say, "Hi, we're the Broas family." It's a singular identity.
Have you ever met someone, and despite never having met them before, you can instantly guess their family?
"Yep, that boy is definitely an O'Donnell."
I remember that happening in school.
Jumping up a couple levels on the graphic, we reach the city. Again, you find the same pattern of identity.
You can't see New York -- only its parts. Yet, we treat New York as if it's a singular entity. We can mail a letter to New York. We can call New York. We can become employed by it.
Going back in history, humans often linked identity to geography. Think of Leonardo da Vinci. His last name is not da Vinci. Vinci is where he was born. His name literally means "Leonardo of Vinci."
Here's the da Vinci example as seen through the fractal lens.
Our ancestors were fractal thinkers and saw identity through this layered lens. Makes you wonder what else we've forgotten, doesn't it?
Let's see another example of this layered approach. This time, we'll go back to our baseball team example.
We have already established the two main parts of identity: The team logo (meaning/spirit/head) and the players (components/embodiment/body).
That's the hierarchy.
But nested within that hierarchy, like the Russian Dolls, we have another hierarchy: The team captain.
The captain is the head of the players (the body). See the pattern?
But there's yet another layer. Within those players, you have positions like the outfielders. In baseball, there is often a captain (head) of the outfielders who presides over the other outfielders (body).
The fractal nature of a baseball team looks like this.
I played center field on my high school baseball team. While our team had a handshake, we outfielders had our own special handshake.
Do you see how this handshake example meets the major requirement of fractals in that they exhibit self-similarity? Rituals are another one of those patterns you see repeated at each fractal level.
Now, in addition to self-similarity, there is another essential characteristic of Fractal Thinking as it applies to brand identity.
When it comes to identity, you are simultaneously two things: the top and bottom halves in the model of meaning:
- The woman is a New Yorker, and she's also herself.
- The center fielder is an Oriole, and he's also himself.
- My son is a Broas, and he's also himself.
- Leonardo da Vinci is from Vinci, and he's also himself.
This balance is critical to keeping harmony. The baseball team is best positioned to flourish when 1) The center fielder brings his unique talents and personality to the field and 2) He also embodies the spirit of the team.
Next week, we'll dive more into this dual nature of identity. For now, let's summarize. I created these seven rules of fractal branding.
Rule 1) Identify can be modeled. It looks like a hierarchy containing a one-to-many relationship. Meaning (e.g., brand identity) flows down from above and is embodied by the lower parts.
Rule 2) The identity must be embodied. If nobody is walking around embodying an identity, that identity will eventually fade away.
Rule 3) The flip side of Rule 2: A unifier must exist. The parts, processes, and people in your business must be united under a common flag. Otherwise, you'll have discord.
Rule 4) Identity is fractal. At each fractal level, you'll find a new, singular identify. That identity can be thought of as the "spirit" of that level.
Rule 5) Harmony is found when the parts of the whole show their idiosyncrasies (e.g. your employees show their unique personalities and skills) while at the same time embodying the spirit of the brand.
Rule 6) The "one" part of the one-and-many relationship has its own consciousness . . .
Think of the murmuration of skylark birds zigging and zagging across the sky. Think of the (singular) personality of that goofy group of outfielders.
This is how we experience the world and how we behave. It's in our language, too. We say things like, "The city is in mourning," and "That family is ambitious," and "That team has a goofy outfield."
We treat big, complex things as if they are one thing. That's a unique and mysterious trait of humans.
(Interesting side-note: We humans can't help but transform this singular consciousness into a real-life form. Think of Uncle Sam, The Statue of Liberty, the Phillies Phanatic, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Aflack Duck. )
Rule 7) Identity can be fractured, broken, stretched, and poisoned. More on this next week.
To wrap up this edition, ask yourself:
1) What is my brand identity?
2) How well defined is that identity?
3) What components in my business embody our identity?
4) Is my brand identity embodied fractally? That is, is my brand identity repeated at different fractal levels within my business?
If you struggle with these questions, you're not alone. First, I suggest you re-read this edition because it's a lot to digest.
Next week, we'll see how identity becomes fractured. That will help you put an immediate stop to things you may be doing that fracture your brand.
Rooting for you,
Billy