The problem with taking offense is that it's really hard to figure out what to do with it after you're done using it. Better to just leave it on the table and walk away. Umbrage untaken quietly disappears.
A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stores and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A brand encompasses the perceptions and emotions consumers associate with a product, influencing their purchasing decisions.
Seth Godin's quote emphasizes that a brand is not merely a logo or a product; it is the collective impression formed by consumers based on their experiences, expectations, and relationships with the product or service. These elements contribute to how consumers differentiate between competing offerings, suggesting that successful branding is deeply rooted in emotional connections and memories rather than just tangible attributes.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation on marketing strategies, you might quote this to emphasize the importance of building emotional connections with consumers.
More from Seth Godin
All quotes →Not adding value is the same as taking it away.
Excellence isn’t about meeting the spec, it’s about setting the spec. It defines what the consumer sees as quality right this minute, and tomorrow, if you’re good, you’ll reset that expectation again
Living with doubt ... is almost always more profitable than living with certainty. _x000D_ People don't like doubt, so they pay money and give up opportunities to avoid it. _x000D_ Entrepreneurshi p is largely about living with doubt. If you need reassurance, you're giving up quite a bit to get it. On the other hand, if you can get in the habit of seeking out uncertainty, you'll have developed a great instinct.
The danger of the Web is that you can go from idea to public announcement in under ten minutes.
Art isn't only a painting. Art is anything that is creative, passionate and personal. Art is the unique work of a human being created to touch another. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
Similar quotes
Your story needs to move people’s spirits and build their goodwill, so that when you finally do ask them to buy from you, they feel like you’ve given them so much it would be almost rude to refuse.
Every reader of your ad is interested, else he would not be a reader. You are dealing with someone willing to listen. Then do your level best. That reader, if you lose him now, May never again be a reader
Anyone who thinks that people can be fooled or pushed around has an inaccurate and pretty low estimate of people - and he won't do very well in advertising.
People don't buy drills they buy holes
If a company is second rate, the logo will eventually be perceived as second rate. It is foolhardy to believe that a logo will do its job immediately, before an audience has been properly conditioned.
We want consumers to say, 'That's a hell of a product' instead of, 'That's a hell of an ad.'