It’s June and we’re rapidly approaching the summer solstice and longest day of the year. Here in the Pacific Northwest our days are now over 16 hours long. Long summer days, with a lot of south-facing sun time is one of the reasons solar power works in this region despite our reputation for drizzly, rainy days.
And that rainy reputation is not wrong. When it’s grey, rainy, and dark at 4pm in December, sunny solar feels like a distant memory. But today, it’s 80 degrees, sunny, and green.
Unsurprisingly, given what I do, I’m fascinated by the concept of reputation. Brand reputation in particular. The world is complex. Humans are complex. Companies are complex. Yet we love simple. Our brains take cognitive shortcuts to get to simple. We use information that comes to mind to make quick judgements. In psychology, it’s called availability heuristics*.
When working with solar and energy storage companies on branding, one of the most regular pushbacks I get is against “limiting ourselves.” Organizations see focusing on a narrow mission, a finite number of customer archetypes, or only a couple of brand values as limiting. “But what about…?” I agree. It can be tough.
And yet, the more we lean into how human minds work, the easier it becomes to build a solid brand reputation. Work to become known for that one thing. Make it part of your company culture to uphold a single brand value. Make sure it’s real and you can stick with it. And, down the road, if you need to pivot to a different service offering or you're adding a service offering, you can build on an established reputation.
If you want to hear how I chose my focus after spending time working in some pretty disparate industries, reach out. I’m happy to tell the story.
*Going down a rabbit hole: there are quite a few named thought processes that fall under the broader umbrella of psychology heuristics.
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Remember the Roots When Developing Your Clean Energy Branding Tree
When most people consider branding, thoughts immediately go to the logo. Yes, a logo is a key player in the visual identity of a brand. A logo is not branding. Branding is more than that.
Branding is like a tree. There are facets that are seen and unseen – like the roots, trunk, and leaves of a tree. Without strong roots, a tree will not survive. And like a tree, to develop a strong clean energy brand, give good attention to the roots of your brand before you get to your logo and style. These fundamentals are not seen by your audience but help drive the perception of your brand and are a key part of your organization’s healthy branding tree.
Read on for a summary of what you should research and articulate for strong branding roots.
June Joke
The Summer Solstice is the one day of the year where one can say, “it’s going to be a long day,” and no-one can tell you you’re wrong.