Branded as the 4th of July
To understand branding, consider the 4th of July. When you hear that phrase, what do you picture? Fireworks? Red white and blue streamers? Hot dogs? Men in tri-cornered hats signing the Declaration of Independence?
You probably think of all those things and more. The 4th of July is, in fact, a powerful, popular, American brand.
How do you define branding?
When we speak with potential clients and ask them about their brands, we often hear “We have a logo and we’ve picked out colors for the website.” But branding isn’t just about the visuals. It’s a common thread that ties everything you do together. It includes the tone, the brand voice, the messaging and the way you communicate to the world about your products and services. And it’s something that shouldn’t get stale. It should change over time, just like our perception of the 4th of July holiday.
The 4th of July holiday is a brand
So, what is the brand of America’s Independence Day? The color palette is built around the red, white and blue of the U.S. flag. Fireworks are a consistent visual theme.
The branding mission statement is The Declaration of Independence. This document informs much of the patriotic messaging that you hear every 4th of July, as do related texts like the Star-Spangled Banner, which includes “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
And like any good brand, the 4th of July has not remained static, adding elements over the years that include hot dogs, potato salad, Uncle Sam, and 4th of July sales.
Key questions to ask yourself about your brand
When you’re figuring out your own brand, ask yourself a few questions:
Who do you want to connect with? Not everyone will like you or your brand, and that includes the 4th of July (Frederick Douglass, for one, was not a big fan). The 4th is designed to connect with people who want to celebrate the founding of America.
How do you want your brand to make people feel when they come into contact with you? Independence Day is focused on making people feel excited, hopeful, patriotic, and celebratory.
What do you want people to think about when they come into contact with your brand? 4th of July celebrations, for example, encourage people to think about the idealistic values this country was founded with: liberty, justice, freedom. The brand is flexible enough to also include those who believe we haven’t fully achieved these ideals but want to keep moving towards them.
Don’t be afraid to change your brand with the changing times
The 4th of July is not the only celebration of some aspect of America. Holidays like Thanksgiving, Indigenous Peoples' Day/Columbus Day, and Juneteenth represent other ways to commemorate the country’s history. Speaking of Juneteenth, we highly recommend viewing poet Lynae Vanee’s brilliant and deeply moving performance of her poem, Today.
Each of these holidays has its own brand, and even though there’s some overlap, they are all distinct and individual and special, just as your brand should show that you are distinct and individual and special.
Remember, it’s ok, and often essential, to change your brand.
Expanding your target audience to include more diverse and inclusive people and perspectives is one way to do that. Honestly, even the 4th of July is overdue for a brand upgrade. Just ask Lin Manuel-Miranda!
Want to talk about branding? Shoot us a message, we’d love to chat with you.