Why Some Brands Endure While Others Don’t

A brand should stand the test of time. A brand is more than a product or a service; it is its differentiated purpose that builds trust and a lasting connection. When carefully crafted, it connects that image in someone’s head, with authenticity to its audience.

Branding is not a logo, a tagline, a template, or a color palette.

Logos, taglines, templates, and color palettes can be powerful expressions that contribute to shaping brand perception, but none of them alone define a brand.

A successful brand blends an emotional essence – the bond between the buyer and seller – with rational brand positioning, a clear differentiation, a promise of value, and delivery on that promise. Together, they form the soul of a brand: The reaction when someone sees the logo and hears a tagline. It’s not what you sell – it’s your differentiated purpose that inspires loyalty and creates enduring value.

So, the Nike swoosh is not a brand. Nor is the iconic tagline, “Just Do It” and Nike’s new rallying cry, “Why Do It?” The swoosh and taglines are recognizable branded elements (and really good ones at that) that convey the soul of the Nike brand:

To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete, and if you have a body, you are an athlete. It is a call to action. A challenge to start, to try, and to move forward even when it is hard.

As Nike’s Chief Marketing Officer explains, their brand is less about a logo and more about a spirit that inspires and unites. See: Nike Reintroduces “Just Do It” to Today’s Generation with “Why Do It?” Campaign — NIKE, Inc.

Close your eyes, think of Nike, and the swoosh makes sense. It, along with “Just Do It,” both help to articulate the Nike brand.

Brands, like Nike, endure and stand the test of time not because they remain the same over time, but because they listen to their clients and customers, and respond to them in a consistent, on-brand manner. This is precisely why Nike launched its new “Why Do It?” campaign as a way to connect with young athletes where they are, “reframing greatness as a choice, not an outcome.”

The soul of a brand remains constant, but its expressions must evolve. The world moves, clients shift, expectations grow. The strongest brands convey their timeless essence in new language, visuals, and actions that resonate with people, clients, customers, and prospects wherever they are and, more specifically, at that moment in time.

This also holds for professional services, including law firms. Branding is not just a B2C thing, it is an everything thing. In professional services, branding relies most on the intangible, not necessarily the physical touchpoints. It is these intangible touchpoints that connect the services and how they are provided. They help to distinguish one firm, company, or service from another.

More importantly, it is the customer experience that ‘makes’ the brand and its emotional essence, not the logo, or the tagline, or the brand colors. And the most forward-facing brand elements you have to communicate that essence: Your people.

In professional services, your brand walks into the room on two feet.

It is embodied by the lawyer who listens, the associate who solves problems, and the staff member who answers the phone with familiarity, empathy, and efficiency.

People deliver on the soul of your brand.

When a client hears your firm’s name, the image conjured in their head is not your firm’s logo; it is the headshot of the lawyer they have a bond with, the lawyer who anticipates their needs and who understands them and their business. Also conjured is the office team that supports them, the team that delivers on the promised value by doing the nitty-gritty work and making it all work seamlessly. And finally, it is the feeling of a successful outcome achieved or resolved by the trusted law firm they have chosen to partner with.

Working as one team, those selling, providing, and supporting services are best positioned to effectively communicate their brand's values, vision, and mission. The firms that do it best have a culture of listening to the client, conveying what they heard, training all teams (not just the lawyers), and delivering this consistently.

Close your eyes again and ask yourself:

What is the soul of my firm’s brand?

Once you can articulate the soul of your brand, every logo, tagline, color, and campaign should make sense and can be powerful expressions. Otherwise, they are just decoration.

Start with the soul of your brand. Everything else – your logo, tagline, and campaigns – will then fall into place. We can help you find it, articulate it, and move it forward.