The Thing About Brand Taglines...

Every brand wants to say something that stands the test of time. But do they have the discipline and patience to get there?

Brand taglines are treated like a magic bullet.

Some people turn to them to patch up a shaky campaign. But that’s really just putting a bandaid on a bigger problem. If a campaign isn’t working, the short phrase at the end isn’t going to magically make sense of it all.

The value of brand taglines is earned.

Over time.

Take Nike’s “Just Do It.” In 2023, the motivational phrase is so ubiquitous, it’s hard to consider its origins. But in the 1980s when Dan Wieden wrote the slogan and Nike ran it in a campaign, it was anything but a sure thing. Wieden had tapped out the phrase in an effort to patch together a wildly diverse set of commercials that would all be running as a part of the same campaign. Since the voice of the commercials was all over the place, Wieden threw “Just Do It” at the end of them all to offer some cohesion.

In interviews, Wieden even suggested that the phrase was a “placeholder” until they could think of something else. Something in his mind felt that the line could be beat. Of course, the place has been held by “Just Do It” for decades and has since become synonymous with the Nike brand itself.

Over time, the meaning and power of Nike’s tagline has grown exponentially. This is to Nike’s credit, for continuing to serve campaigns that featured the phrase. Each time adding nuance, dimension and power to the simple three word edict.

One of the most crippling briefs I see come up is when a client asks “What’s our ‘Just Do It?’” Or “Think Different” or “We Try Harder.”

Of course, we’re all attracted to the lasting power and inspiration of long-lasting brand lines. We all want to play a role in building a legacy. But this is a paralyzing and unrealistic ask.

It’s not a human request to essentially ask “What is the simple phrase that our brand can run for decades?”

The best we can do, is look at the opportunity on the table and say “What best serves the work and brand?”

What is the most insightful thing we can say right now?

That’s all Dan Wieden was trying to do back in the day. His needs were to find something that spoke with an athletic mindset and unified a diverse body of work. It was a specific brief with an immediate need.

One thing I’ve seen over the course of my career is brands abandoning great lines “just to change things up.” This is the opposite kind of thinking. You don’t have to say something completely different this year than you did the last. The way you say it can change, but it’s okay to have conviction and let your brand tagline run a little more.

If your brand is coming up with a new tagline every fiscal quarter, and yet you still have the desire to build a “Just Do It” level legacy—how does that work?

Building a brand requires you to be comfortable being both consistent and surprising at the same time. This is how you win over time. You keep doing the things that work, and find new ways to stay relevant and engaged with culture in the current moment.

Brands that constantly demand disruption and are prone to chase the latest shiny trend, find themselves in a constant state of identity crisis. Someone needs to talk them down. Someone needs to have the confidence to keep some things the same.

And that’s exactly what a long-running brand tagline projects.

Confidence.

Your audience learns that they can depend on you and know exactly who you are in the little bursts of moments they spend with you during their day. Because you know who you are and can consistently communicate it.

With your brand tagline set, then begins the fun work of varying your tone and voice to add diversity and new layers of meaning to that tagline. Figure out how it works when you have something serious to say. Try it out when you have a lighter message. See how it connects to individual brand ambassadors and their stories. Offer an invitation for your audience to relate to your brand mantra in a personal way.

The more touch points you create, the more emotional resonance you can layer onto your brand tagline.

If you treat your tagline like a flavor of the week, it shows you don’t care or have conviction. It will smack of marketing and ring hollow. Your audience is sophisticated. They make fun of goofy or corporate or AI-generated sounding taglines all the time. If you don’t commit, you will be ridiculed or suffer an even far worse fate—you’ll be forgotten.

So keep your eye out for the next opportunity to commit to a brand line. Sometimes that looks like having the conviction to dust a previous line off and give it another run. Sometimes it’s coming up with a new line. The art of branding comes from the gut and making bold decisions that follow your instincts. So look at everything available to you and figure out the mix of messaging with a brand line that speaks your brand truth—right now.

Don’t get lost in thinking about the future or worrying if your three-word statement sounds “epic” or “Gen Z” enough.

Is it right for the work on the table today?

That’s the only question you have to consider. It’s soul-searching work. That’s the daily job of building a brand. It’s not all lightning in a bottle, dramatic moments of clarity. It’s a run of small decisions that you make from a single perspective.

If you answer the call and execute honestly, you give your brand a shot at building a lasting legacy.

Branding Vs. Brand Guidelines: What's the Real Difference?

Marketing is famously filled with jargon. The problem with jargon is that it quickly becomes meaningless. There are some foundational terms and concepts that are easily conflated and that lose sharpness over time. One fundamental term that I’ve seen have a broad range of interpretations is “branding” itself. Most commonly, I’ve seen people use “branding” to specifically refer to “brand guidelines.” However, in my experience brand guidelines are just a very small subset of what branding is.

Let’s dig in and see what the distinctions are.

What is Branding, Anyway?

First things first, let's define what branding actually is. At its core, branding is all about creating a meaningful, emotional connection between a brand and its audience. It's about making people feel something when they see your logo, hear your name, or encounter your products. Think of it as the heart and soul of your brand – the intangible magic that makes people choose you over the competition.

For example, Nike is a brand that has nailed the art of branding. It's not just about their iconic swoosh; it's about their "Just Do It" ethos. Nike has become synonymous with athletic achievement, determination, and the pursuit of excellence. When you wear Nike gear, you're not just wearing sports apparel; you're embodying a winning mindset.

Another standout example is Coca-Cola. Beyond their sugary beverages, Coca-Cola has created a timeless and universal message of happiness, togetherness, and sharing. Their branding campaigns, like the iconic "Share a Coke" campaign, have touched the hearts of millions worldwide.

Brand Guidelines: The Rulebook

Now, on to brand guidelines. These are like the brand's rulebook. They lay out the dos and don'ts, ensuring that your brand's visuals and voice are consistent across all touchpoints. Brand guidelines are essential to maintaining a cohesive image, but they're not the soul of your brand. They're more like the uniform your brand wears every day.

Let's take Old Spice as an example. Their brand guidelines ensure that no matter where you encounter Old Spice – whether it's in a TV commercial, a print ad, or on social media – you'll recognize that quirky, humorous style. The brand guidelines keep the Old Spice persona intact, but it's the brand itself that makes you smile.

Harley-Davidson is another brand that knows the power of guidelines. Their brand is synonymous with freedom, rebellion, and the open road. While their guidelines ensure consistency in logo usage and typography, it's the brand's strong identity that makes owning a Harley a lifestyle choice. You can intellectually recognize the logo, but it’s the brand that makes you feel something.

Branding = Culture Relevance

So, why is it crucial to distinguish between branding and brand guidelines? Because understanding this difference can take your brand to a whole new level. You see, branding is what makes your brand relevant in culture. It's about tapping into the zeitgeist, reflecting societal values, and creating something that resonates with your audience on a deep, emotional level.

Think about Apple. It's not just a tech company; it's a cultural phenomenon. Apple's branding revolves around innovation, simplicity, and challenging the status quo. They've made owning an Apple product a statement about individuality and creativity. When you see someone with an iPhone, it's not just a phone; it's a symbol of a shared ethos.

Red Bull is another brand that's deeply ingrained in culture. Their branding is all about pushing the boundaries of what's possible. From extreme sports events to content creation, they've made "gives you wings" a lifestyle, not just a slogan.

Emotion = Fans

One of the most powerful and enduring things about branding is that it turns customers into fans. When you create a strong emotional bond with your audience, they become your biggest advocates. They'll wear your merchandise, share your content, and defend your brand in internet debates. That's the power of a brand that connects on a deeper level.

Take Nike again, for instance. Their emotional connection with fans goes beyond sports. When they released the "Dream Crazy" campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, they tapped into the broader cultural conversation about social justice. This move not only solidified their brand's values but also won them a legion of new fans who admired their bold stance.

Another example of this phenomenon is Disney. Disney's branding is all about nostalgia, magic, and storytelling. They've created a fan culture that spans generations. From Mickey Mouse to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney's branding is a masterclass in creating lifelong fans that keep coming back (and bring their kids with them).

When asked about the role of a brand, Dan Wieden distilled it down to “Move me, Dude!” That sums it up pretty well. If your branding isn’t making someone feel something, it’s time to rethink and find ways that it can.

The Takeaway

So, the next time a team member uses branding interchangeably with brand guidelines, you can offer this distinction. Brand guidelines are essential for maintaining consistency in design and voice, but branding is the heart and soul of your brand. It's about creating an emotional relationship, winning more fans, and becoming culturally relevant. When you get branding right, the guidelines become part of your daily work in delivering the magic of your brand to the world.

The TLDR: Branding is about emotions, connections, and culture. Brand guidelines? They're just the stewards and hosts who make sure the party goes smoothly.

---

Andrew “Oyl” Miller is an advertising Creative Director and Copywriter. He spent 15 years working at Wieden+Kennedy on brands like Nike, PlayStation and IKEA. You can check out his work on his website.

How the Nike Brand "Just Does It"

This article originally appeared on my SubStack.

I’ve worked with a lot of brands.

I’ve worked with brands in tech, sports, ice cream, travel, fashion, finance, automobiles, airplanes, food, pets, furniture, entertainment, music, crypto and NFTs. Those are the broad strokes.

And there is one brand I’ve worked with more than any other: Nike.

I grew up in Portland, Oregon and fell hard for the mystique of the Swoosh. I was an athlete (varsity basketball in high school, and baseball all the way through a pro tryout after college) and I loved creativity. Nike delivered creativity to athletes in spades. When my baseball career came to an end, I walked right into the shadow of the Swoosh and set out to figure out what the hell was going on there.

How come I had to buy Air Jordans? Why did Nike commercials rival Hollywood productions? Why did everyone I know have posters of Nike athletes on their bedroom walls? How did this company down the road in Beaverton go from selling shoes out of a van into becoming the coolest brand in the world?

My unbalanced curiosity led me to the halls of Nike’s ad agency Wieden+Kennedy. Since then, I’ve spent nearly two decades working on Nike campaigns. First in Portland, then in Tokyo, and now, as I type from Arizona.

Working with so many talented, passionate and experienced people at both Nike and Wieden+Kennedy over the years has been a particular education. All throughout that time I also worked on other clients, which has shown me Nike’s similarities and differences with other brands.

Almost all clients I’ve worked with have asked me what it’s like to work on Nike. Some clients even set the specific bar of hoping to make the kind of work that Nike does. You can even find clips on YouTube of Steve Jobs praising Nike’s advertising and brand strength. (Jobs used to actively hire former W+K employees with Nike experience to work on Apple’s advertising. A hiring principle that continues to this day.)

So, what is it that makes Nike able to function as such a potent brand? Even as it has expanded into becoming such a multinational corporate juggernaut? How has it retained its brand power? What has Nike and its agency partnerships done to keep its advertising and branding as the bar other brands aspire to?

There is no easy answer. But I can give my observations from my career of working with Nike and comparing it to other brands.

The standard is clear and extremely high. It’s not easy selling an idea to Nike. They’ve been going for decades and have executed a wide diversity of work in that time. When you are trying to come up with ideas for Nike Football or Nike Basketball, nothing you present can resemble anything they have done in the past. Each assignment demands a fresh and specific insight. On some campaigns, I’ve written nearly a hundred scripts, just to sell one. Other brands I’ve worked with have high standards, but clients are rarely deeply versed in the work that came before their time.

Nike is a belief system. Working on Nike can veer into cultish territory. There are beliefs and quotes that come from co-founders Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. “If you have a body, you’re an athlete.” There are also north stars that have been established in previous ad campaigns. Mantras like “You don’t win silver, you lose gold,” and “There is no finish line.” These beliefs become proof points that you can filter work through. Clients will look to these truths to judge your ideas. You need to understand what Nike believes, not just what you think will be cool. If you can ground your ideas in the brand beliefs and you’ll give your ideas a better chance. Many other brands I work with speak of core beliefs, but it feels more like an intellectual exercise. Some brands are always trying to reinvent what they stand for. Nike knows who they are.

The voice of the athlete is queen. At most brands, the buck stops with some senior client. At Nike, the athletes themselves wield incredible power. I’ve seen situations where a client was tepid on an idea, but once it got the thumbs up from an athlete, it was game over. Once an athlete likes something, it’s sold and you go make it. On other brands, sometimes it’s hard to actually pinpoint the final decision maker. At Nike, there is always the “threat” that an athlete will come in and make the call. This adds tension and focus to the whole development and approval process. Brands who do identify a single decision maker usually make the most singular and impactful work in my experience.

They take it personally. (aka everyone cares) Phil Knight famously doesn’t believe in “testing.” This has created a culture that empowers decision makers. For better and worse, clients at Nike are encouraged to develop their own taste and stand by their decisions. This can lead to very subjective debates. But the end result is that all of the work that gets made has real human spark and emotion behind it. Someone made the decision because they personally liked it. No putting it to a committee vote or anonymous room of people off the street. You can feel the human touch and quirk in the finished product. Some brands I’ve worked with operate as a democracy. They give the power to testers or take a vote and listen to the opinions of even the most disengaged participant. This is the opposite of taking it personally, and leads to watered down, please the masses type of work.

They’re competitive as hell. Nike’s operating system and business engine is competition. Being founded by athletes and coaches, everything is a win or lose proposition. Nike clients want to outshine each other. One hit project can make a career. This creates active excitement and immense pressure. There is a constant push to make the work better and finesse the details. It’s not a matter of making comments just to say something (something I have experienced on other brands that actively makes the work worse.) Nike clients are smart and driven, because they are in the game to win not just build a resume.

Everything comes back to sports. Everyone at Nike can talk sports. Even if a client isn’t an athlete themselves, they find a way to respect and honor sports. I’ve worked with tech brands whose clients didn’t really understand or appreciate the tech. I’ve worked with travel brands whose clients just saw the job as a marketing role. At Nike, everything ties back to a love of sports. Being nimble with references, historical performances, play styles and the latest rising stars will serve you extremely well. This passion permeates all levels of the work. This intensity of passion is hard for other brands to manufacture. At Nike, love of sport runs to its core.

They have a tight strategic playbook. Before a project comes up, the brief and strategy are super clear. Sometimes, as a creative, the strategy portion of the process takes too much time. But the end result is a clear target and set parameters to operate in. From there, judging and debating work becomes almost a legal exercise. Every detail of an idea must be justified back to the core strategy. This can be infuriating when you are in the weeds trying to get a project green lit. But the intention and purpose behind this is to make sure the work stays on target. Of course human opinion does enter the process, but with a defined strategy, arguments on both side need to have logic to them. I’ve never seen anything close to the level of rigor that working on Nike demands at another brand. In my experience, this comes from a lack of strategic clarity. Both strategic business thinking as well as creative strategy.

No one is just taking up space. I once presented a campaign to a blue chip tech company. The presentation was in a classroom setting. I was up front in the “teacher” position. Looking out, were THIRTY CLIENTS sitting in school desks. None of them looked at me. All of them were typing on their laptops. We somehow sold the campaign, but given the odd circumstances, it didn’t “feel like a win.” Contrast that to Nike, where I have routinely presented to one or two clients. Sometimes there are more stakeholders from other functions, but I’ve rarely presented to more than ten clients. This results in intimate presentations that feel more like conversations. Now, when these things go wrong, it can get really uncomfortable. But mostly, it just feels like a partnership. You know the other side is invested and leaning into the work. Reactions are natural and immediate. You know where you stand. And it’s not at the head of a class with rows of disengaged “students.” How that will ever lead to great work, I’ll never know.

Small talk matters. We’ve all been in those awkward pre-meeting moments. We talk about our weekends or what we ate for dinner. No one really cares, but it’s better than sitting in silence. With Nike, it’s all about “did you see the game last night?” and “Do you think LeBron’s gonna break the record?” Even in the idle chit chat, it’s a chance to show your love of sport and credibility knowing what’s going on. The end result: those head nods and approvals later in the meeting are a little easier to come by. I have seen fruitful small talk on other brands. Like the creative director I worked with who seemed to know IKEA’s entire catalogue and store layout even better than the clients. This also led to smooth relations and approvals.

Everything is marketing. (aka your product is marketing) This is a big one. Nearly every other brand I’ve worked on has treated marketing as a kind of add on. The marketing department is called in after a product has been developed and is tasked with selling it to the masses. At Nike, marketing is baked in to the genesis of every product. Even working at an agency, I was sometimes invited to meetings with product developers to brainstorm how the story of that product could come to life. I’ve also seen products at Nike that didn’t crack their' “story” get shelved. Nike demands that each product “says” something. That’s not something that’s added on later. It’s a part of the big bang of each product’s creation. One brand I’ve worked on stands out as coming close, and that is Airbnb. When I worked with them, they were very advanced in also seeing the benefit of a product feature coming with an innate story. Involve your storytellers early, folks. Your business results will thank you.

Everyone wants to be Nike. They’ve cracked the code and have been executing for decades. But it’s not as easy as setting the brief to “Make a Nike style commercial for (Brand X)” Nike is the result of all sorts of beliefs, elements and working styles that come together. It’s not a switch to be flipped. If you want to achieve what Nike has, you have to dig deeper. And maybe you need to ask your brand uncomfortable questions. What do you believe in? Do you care about the work or are you just here for your resume? Does your brand have a north star? Or are you just doing whatever worked at your last job?

Nike is a unique (and actually pretty funky and chaotic “in a good way”) organization. Not every brand will have the intrinsic elements that Nike does. But every brand can aspire to be better. Every brand can commit to being more personal and human. And everyone that works on other brands can apply what works at Nike to what they are doing on a daily basis. The main thing comes down to care and responsibility. If you are willing to let go or roll over when you feel a project going off track, resist. The more you can find a way to do things that you believe in and connect with, the more your brand will benefit. The best brands outside of Nike I have worked with, have had their own versions of what makes Nike successful. The good news is, every brand can get better. Even Nike. Make it your mission to figure out how.

Nike Proves It Builds Differently With New Web3 Platform "Dot Swoosh"

Nike is quietly building an industry giant in plain sight.

This week, the iconic footwear brand announced the launch of a new platform, Dot Swoosh, to support its continued up-leveling in the digital and virtual space.

While web3 and NFTs have been slaughtered in the recent bear market, Nike has been steadily building and showing a long term conviction in the power of web3.

If we look back in history, Nike is always first when it comes to innovation. They led the charge with redefining athlete sponsorships back in the day, by not just using them as corporate sponsors, but by elevating them to god-like cultural figures. See: Michael Jordan.

Nike was also early in playing with having a simple web page. When other companies didn’t understand the new technology, Nike was playing with it. The same came be said with YouTube. When it was just considered a place to watch trivial cat videos, Nike dropped its athletes into the mix and created viral sensations that transformed how people thought about the platform and what it can do for a brand. See: Ronaldinho Crossbar Challenge and Kobe Jumps an Aston Martin.

Nike did stumble when the Amazon-ification of the world first rolled out, as they still leaned too heavily on traditional retail and distribution. However with the appointment of CEO John Donahoe, former CEO of PayPal, the company completed a full pivot to a digital offense and its direct to consumer business has started to really drive profits.

Maybe this led to Nike’s early bet on the metaverse.

With the splashy acquisition of RTFKT in 2021, Nike signaled belief in the emerging web3 space. A space that makes a natural fit for Nike with its easy analogs in digital and virtual fashion. They even filed all the right patents for creating virtual footwear, “Cryptokicks”, and entire platforms based around the buying and selling of virtual shoes and apparel.

A big issue at play here, is Nike now has a direct path to tap into the robust sneaker re-selling market. How it used to work was people would buy exclusive kicks from Nike, and then turn around and sell them for three, four, ten times more in high end sneaker shops or online. This is big business. And one that Nike can’t get its claws into. However in a world where every physical sneaker comes with a virtual “twin”, there will effectively be a receipt or proof of ownership for every pair of shoes you buy. Cutting out the cheap knockoff market and adding a layer of authenticity to re-selling.

Imagine if you had proof that you owned the first Air Jordan? Or Air Max 1? This kind of social proof, is exactly what the promise of NFTs is built on. People will find value in the virtual authentic sneakers, just the way they pay 10x for sneakers they never intend to wear, but hold onto for investment purposes. Before today, it was a black market. From today, we can see Nike is intending to build a platform and peer-to-peer marketplace where you can buy, sell and trade those virtual sneakers to others.

This has never been done, and it’s hard for the uninitiated to imagine. But it’s basically the fashion and physical goods equivalent of Steve Jobs pulling out an iPod and saying “music will never be the same.” Only in web3, there is this notion of creator royalties and smart contracts that truly have the potential to level the playing field. If Nike can continue to operate in an open source, web3 ethos, this could be a seriously game changing move.

It potentially gives an individual creator the ability to create a Nike shoe, and sell it for others to use across the metaverse, in popular video games, in Roblox, in Fortnite, in a million other games and services and avatars not invented yet. Nike has enable digital sneakers, digital products to go live and have ownership tying back to the individual creators. Not only Nike will benefit from this. In web3, because of the nature of the smart contracts, the financial incentives are spread out.

No longer will you just be a consumer of shoes or jerseys, you will now be a part owner. It’s like a mix of owning the product and a share of the company. It’s a new behavior that is still undefined, but what Nike is signaling and building is nothing short of revolutionary.

It’s like, if you used Amazon back in the day when it launched, and every time you bought something, you also earned a fractional share of Amazon stock. That’s the promise of web3’s mantra: Read. Write. Own.

And in Nike’s case, for fans of the brand, you might also say Read. Write. Own. Just Do It.

If you are interested in Nike, shoes, fashion, digital or simply the evolution of business, ignore this move at your own peril.

Andrew “Oyl” Miller is an advertising Creative Director and Copywriter. He spent 15 years working at Wieden+Kennedy on brands like Nike, PlayStation and IKEA. You can check out his work on his website.

Branding 3.0

In my career in advertising, I remember encouraging brands to take a look at YouTube when it just launched. They laughed at me. I didn't understand media, they said. It was small time, they chided. TV was king, they assured me. I took my lumps and dug deeper into offering them more "traditional" campaigns.

It didn't take long for the early "virality" of YouTube to spin its way into the consciousness of brand managers. Suddenly I started getting briefs to "make a viral video." Oh, the clients loved this. They'd see a group of no name kids who kicked a football against the cross bar, and suddenly they'd "re-imagine" the idea with famous global football stars. Narrative was dead they said. YouTube was all about the quick, magical stunt. Kobe Bryant jumping over a car. Wayne Rooney hitting targets with the ball. The only goal of YouTube was to game the system and make a video that got passed around.

This is the phase we are at with the emerging web3 and NFT scene. Brand managers are looking for 24-hour derivative turn arounds that result in pfp projects and virtual beer/deodorant/pizza. I get it. It's intoxicating to join the hot, new conversation that your audience is aware of. Just like it was exciting to "make virals" back in the day for YouTube. But savvy brand marketers will realize that behaviors and possibilities are changing radically. It's a fundamental shift. It has implications for your business, not just for making a cheap "WAGMI" joke on a Tuesday afternoon.

Eventually, YouTube didn't go away. It grew into THE platform for digital video. People flocked to YouTube for everything. To learn things. To relive their childhood culture. To laugh. To sing. To feel. YouTube ate all of digital video. It was no longer about being "viral" or trying to capture or fake some unbelievable stunt. YouTube just became a platform to tell stories and give information on. Eventually all the marketing budgets starting pumping into YouTube as the place to get your TV ads seen. Showing up early on YouTube, this didn't come as a surprise. It was easy to see that what YouTube was on launch, wasn't what it was going to always be. It ushered in a new fundamental form of online behavior. Suddenly video was king. And it hasn't gone away since then.

This is where we are at in web3 and NFTs in March, 2022.

Brand managers are looking to make "viral" projects. They are thinking about the next two weeks, and that's it. What they are failing to realize, is that NFTs, and the underlying technology, is doing what YouTube once did to online behavior. NFTs let you own your presence on the web. No more like buttons. No more hearts feeding straight into a marketing algorithm that prints money for their holding companies.

For the first time, users, individuals and people matter.

That's what NFTs represent.

You have to look past the headlines and the easy memes about bad drawings or right-click-and-save crusaders. This is just the first volley. This is "everything has to be a viral video" phase. No. This is just the first chapter. It's the early innovators playing around and casually defining one form or use case. From here, the pie gets bigger. From here, behavior gets normalized. From here, the jargon goes away and "digital ownership" starts to become tangible.

People in charge of brands need to realize that the digital world is evolving. It's not just a passing lightweight meme. The fundamentals are changing. The visionary and the first movers will catch this early, and they will start building out their actual business models to fit into the evolution of our digital lives.

That's exactly what Michael Jordan and his son are doing with HEIR. They have founded a web3 and digital culture company that will bring elite athletes and their fans closer together. This is an actual business. This is not a weekend project. HEIR will use Jordan's legacy as a centerpiece, and then build their business around this generation's co-signed athletes to offer digital products (NFTs), access and physical merchandise. To align with this, they have filed a series of relevant patents to stake their claim to the space strategically. Nike has done the same thing. The smart businesses are not just going for the one-off campaign or cash grab. They are adapting their business to where digital behavior and commerce are leading us.

It's easy to be a hater. It's easy to look at the stupid, amateurish videos that first came out on YouTube and dismiss the entire platform. How is it premium? How can it compete with TV advertising? But for those who look deeper and consider the operation and potential in emerging technologies, they give themselves a chance to see a longer runway. And those who get their first and create a tangible impact early, will be able to define the space and position themselves and their companies as first movers. This in itself is a branding win. The Nike's of the world are consistently early to emerging technology and it has helped them to control and distribute their message, brand and products consistently with where culture is gathering.

If you're spinning your wheels trying to come up with the perfect blockchain pun to post on Twitter, you're probably not gonna make it.

So keep your antenna up as these evolutions in technology speed up. If you pay attention enough, see what is being done, you'll start to see gaps where you can do something differently. That's where the wins for a brand lie. And unlike media only innovations, the emergence of the blockchain brings together media and business possibilities.

If you haven't realized, every brand is a tech brand now. The winners will be the ones who opt in earliest.

NFT Branding: 101

The cat is out of the bag on the technical side of NFTs (or should I say Crypto-Kitty?) Every day, new services pop up that make it easy to drag, drop and mint your own NFTs. The barrier to entry to create your own digital items is low. And this has led to a flood of criticism that NFTs are a bubble. Who wants to buy all of this crap art?

But just because it's easy, doesn't mean it's easy to win in this space.

Take T-shirts. In the 1950s, if you wanted to sell t-shirts, you had to own or have connections to a factory that physically made them. Then there was shipping. Then there was distribution. Etc. Flash forward to 2022, and t-shirts have been "drag-and-droppified." Technology has eliminated the barrier and the middlemen. Does this mean that t-shirts are a bubble? Does this mean that people will no longer buy t-shirts just because now everyone can make them? No, they'll buy the shirts they want.

People buy t-shirts that fit their style, make them feel cool or fashionable or have some personal meaning to them. T-shirts are a form of self-expression. People will always need to express themselves and differentiate themselves from the people around them. Brands and creators that can use t-shirts as a vehicle to transport their own worldview and ethos, will sell. Generic knock offs., or random t's uploaded to Amazon will get ignored. As in all things; T-shirts to NFTs, it's survival of the coolest. Survival of who can create the most meaning and emotional connection.

NFTs aren't cheesy illustrations of animals. They are units of brand identity. They are signal boosters. Just because you can technically make an NFT, does not mean you're going to make it. The digital items that thrive are just like the t-shirts, lunch boxes, branded candy bars, hot sneakers and cool cars that people keep buying. The creators that imbue their NFTs with meaning and manage to mint culture, will make it. All others will fade away.

Maybe in 2017, the superstars who moved the needle in the space were the coders who technically enabled non-fungible tokens to be created. But in 2022 and beyond, the technical abilities have spread out and are no longer the differentiator. The value and importance of digital items will be in the hands of brands that can put their cultural cool into digital amber, preserving authentic meaning on the blockchain.

There will be low hanging fruit as always. A shallow, profit printing way to get involved at some layer. Think: world-beating IPs like the Disneys, the Marvels, and the imagery that you can put on a pair of underwear and socks and manage to sell out on autopilot.

There will be newcomers, like Bored Apes, who seemingly come out of nowhere, capture the cultural zeitgeist and manage to start up a legacy from ground zero.

There will be niches in every category you can imagine. Artists and musicians who connect with the heart and soul of their fans. This will create a symbiotic relationship where both sides will contribute and benefit from the increased exposure of the creators as they push further into culture.

Those who know branding, will win.

It could be personal brands, legacy brands or new cultural phenomenon brands.

But the ones who rest on their digital laurels at merely being able to technically show up at the NFT table, or who copy and paste derivative ideas onto the blockchain will be ignored. In our attention culture, we crave meaning, story and values. We look for things to cheer for. And we want easy ways to express our values. This is what branding is an onramp for. Without branding and meaning, NFTs are hollow vessels. A collection of directionless pixels taking up space on the vast sea of the distributed web.

Brands with sharp POVs and clearly communicated world views will have lasting power. Just because the medium of communication has changed, doesn't alter the basic rules of branding that have proved successful at each iteration of culture.

Brand your project or be forgotten.