Is Rudolph's brand his nose? Or is that just his branding? At Designation we assert that your branding is just part of communicating your brand, and your brand itself is what really sets you apart. And it's good to stand out, isn't it? But is it enough in itself - in fact, is it indeed always beneficial to stand out?

Well no. Take Rudolph. He's all good and famous now. But it wasn't always so. Remember how he was treated originally by the other reindeer? They "used to laugh and call him names" and "they never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games". Any school kid will tell you that number one priority is to blend in or you'll get picked on.

It wasn't until Santa spotted the benefits of a light-emitting snout to light the way for his sleigh, that Rudolph's fickle reindeer co-workers suddenly voted him their number one. At this point Rudolph becomes famous for something, steering a safe passage for the Christmas delivery - his "brand". And how do you spot which one is this special animal? Easy, he has a red nose, his "branding". Now his brand and branding are properly connected, and we haven't put the cart before the horse; er, I mean the sleigh before the reindeer.

Merry Christmas!

Nigel Penn-Simkins 0118 951 9450
Arthur op den Brouw 0118 951 9460