This past week, we know the streaming platform Max announced that it would be rebranding to HBOMax. 

(You read about it in Salesgirl Social yesterday and can catch up here in 5 minutes.)

But here’s what happened…

Did anyone ACTUALLY start calling it Max? 

It was very much a case of “Stop Trying to Make Fetch Happen.” 

HBO has so much recognition and strong brand equity. There’s association with quality content, high production value, and top tier talent when it comes to the brand HBO has built over time. 

What’s brand equity?

Brand equity is the value a company gains from its name recognition and its perceived benefits and admirable qualities.

So why was Max a flop? The name was out of alignment, and it didn’t actually resonate with their customers. 

Instead of trying to separate themselves from the perception they already have, HBO is leaning into what works. They now know how valuable including “HBO” in their name is in order for it to resonate with their audience.

Your customers are forming a perception of you at every single moment they come in contact with you. Every sales message. Every social post. Every page on your website.  This is why it’s SO important to use consistent branding - a sudden change in name/aesthetic could be confusing to your audience. 

Branding is how your customers categorize your business in their minds. I think all business owners should develop a deep understanding of who and what their business is at its core before establishing the visual aspects of their brand. 

This is why I wrote The On Brand Blueprint.   

Dialing in my brand and creating a professional high-end website took me from a side-hustle to a full blown business, and now, I’m breaking it all down so you can get results too.

The On Brand Blueprint is your roadmap - the mental framework and practical steps to help you build a brand that truly represents your business. It’s the approach we take with every single client we work with. 

My hope is that it gives you the clarity, confidence, and tools to create a brand that feels as powerful as your vision.

I am so excited to share that it is now available via Amazon.

Since this space is full of the best girls’ girls… I wanted to share an exclusive peek with The Salesgirl Social community!

An excerpt from The On Brand Blueprint by Jade Buford:

You probably didn’t really put any thought towards branding before you entered this entrepreneurial space, where it seems like this social media account or that business guru is telling you why you do or don’t need to focus on branding. 

It might even feel like a new concept. Like something that just became a buzz word or a trendy thing businesses should be doing.  But actually branding has deep roots. 

Branding is nothing new. It’s been around for centuries. The root word of branding is “to burn.” It originally began in the form of branding cattle–the process of burning a symbol onto livestock in order to identify their owners. This dates back over 4,000 years ago and there’s evidence of ancient Egyptians branding their livestock. 

Over time, branding marks translated into other spaces like watermarks on paper or symbols used by silver smiths to identify their work. The goal, even with its long history, has always been to create recognition and association with the symbol or “brand” in use. It was their way of saying this is my product or this is my work. 

Businesses for thousands of years have used branding to differentiate their products, but we didn’t see this fully become what branding is today until the 20th century. At this point, companies started to apply the principles of consumer psychology with brands through mascots, slogans, and strategic messaging to tap into their customer’s desires and personalities. 

Walter Landor, a packaging designer and pioneer in branding during the 1940s, said, “Products are made in a factory, but brands are created in the mind.” Landor de signed brands like Marlboro, Levi’s, and Coca-Cola. 

Do you know what is “on brand” for your business? 

If you aren’t sure yet, that’s totally ok. You’re absolutely in the right place. The goal of this book is to help you truly reflect on your company, your values, and how it impacts your customers. From there, we can determine the deeper foundation of your brand beyond just pretty colors and fonts. 

Being On Brand is about creating a feeling your audience has when they interact with you. 

Being On Brand is creating your own world that your customers are dying to be a part of. It’s creating your own little club that your customers can feel a sense of belonging. It’s why we want to wear the merch of our favorite brands. Customers don’t wear Nike hats because they want to spread the word about their awesome athletic wear. They wear the Nike hat because of what wearing the Nike hat says about THEM. Maybe it’s because they want to be perceived as athletic, or maybe it’s because they want to be seen as someone who embodies what “just do it” means. 

Maybe it’s because they want to be perceived as affluent or that they have status. 

And this isn’t just exclusive to huge brands. Small businesses are utilizing this every day. Think about a local fitness studio–they may sell hats or car magnets, and the members of that studio are more than willing to put that magnet on their car because they resonate with the brand. They are a part of the community. It says something about them, and they feel like they are a part of a “tribe.” 

Whatever the case is, think about this in the concept of your brand. Why would a customer wear your branding on their hat, and what are they trying to say about themselves by wearing it? Do they even have enough information about you to give them the desire to wear it in the first place? 

If you’re not sure, no sweat. That’s exactly what we will uncover in this book. We’re going to go beyond the surface of your brand design and discover what you’re actually trying to say with your brand so your brand can not only create a specific feeling for your customers, but it can actually resonate and make them want to be a part of it. 

Are you ready to get On Brand? Let’s dive in.