How much should you fear brand haters?
9% of the time, haters aren’t your biggest issue.
The good folks at @CivicScience surveyed over 27,000 people about their opinions of Dick’s Sporting Goods and R.E.I. (the 2nd and 11th largest sporting goods retailers — in the world).
It turns out, haters are usually dwarfed by the indifferent: people who have no opinion or never heard of you.
Should You ”Bland” Your Brand?
Just to clarify: a logo is not a ‘brand’. Or at least it’s not your BRAND: your ‘Big B’ brand is your entire reputation and the sum total of all you do — product, pricing, where you’re sold, what your CEO Tweets, is it hip on Cape Cod, do you have a store in Monaco, etc.
But a logo is a key, often essential element of your brand. It’s your “little b” brand.
Here are 3 key reasons to keep (or create) a funky logo:
Is Your Brand Easy to Recognize?
A quick & unscientific way to test is to do an online image search of “your brand” or “your brand + your category”. (E.g., “Starbucks”, or “Starbucks coffee”.) Then zooooom out (Ctrl - or Cmd - ).
Check it on its own & against competitors. Can you tell them apart? Is there anything beyond your logo or product that pops? Do you look like everyone else, or are you creating your own distinct look?
What Should You Focus on First: Revenue or Profits?
The main finding? If you can choose, CHOOSE PROFITS FIRST. You’re 2.5X more likely to become a star if you begin from a high-profit-low-growth position than from a high-growth-low-profit position.