Every day, I get a little closer to calling myself a branding guru. A little closer to having more answers than questions. A little closer to knowing what it truly takes to distill a brand and craft a message that connects with predictably unpredictable people.
Some might say I’m already worthy of the title. But for me, it remains a pursuit, one that keeps me from ever claiming I’ve arrived.
Nearly twenty years ago, I set out to become an authority in my profession and to help clients answer a simple but powerful question: Why you? Along the way, I’ve studied, practiced, and helped build successful brands. I love what I do, and I respect my craft deeply, but I’m not a guru. Not yet.
I believe earning that title takes a lifetime of focus. Which begs the question: how can there be so many self-proclaimed branding gurus today? How have so many apparently reached that status in just a few short years? Are they naturally gifted and divinely inspired, or simply opportunistic?
You decide.
Consider the Writer…
Talented at weaving words into compelling stories, but less equipped to build brand strategy.
I recently met a writer whose firm proudly claimed expertise in “all things branding.” She described a client engagement where the solution to a perceived rebrand was writing new technical content and industry articles in a refreshed voice.
The client was interviewed. Notes were taken. Articles were written, well-written, no doubt, with catchy captions and consistent tone.
But were they saying anything that mattered?
Did the work actually reposition the brand?
Or was it simply lipstick on a pig?
To the untrained eye, the effort looked like branding. To an experienced professional, it was a well-executed exercise that failed to address the real issue.
Consider the Developer…
Engaged to create an “online brand.”
(Is there such a thing as an online brand versus an offline brand? No.)
The deliverable was a polished, multi-page website, beautifully designed, easy to navigate, fully functional, and integrated with social media and ecommerce tools.
But where was the story?
What was the client trying to say? What made their offering unique and valued? Regardless of platform, branding requires clarity and intention.
Developer? Absolutely.
Brand guru? No.
Consider the Graphic Designer…
Introduced as a branding expert, this designer clearly understood visual design and software execution. But when it came time to distill the brand or validate a unique and meaningful position, the work fell short.
New materials were created. A logo was refined. But the brand itself remained unchanged.
The result? A cosmetic update that failed to move the needle.
The Real Problem
While I’d like to absolve the writer, developer, and designer, the reality is that each believed they were experts in all things branding.
Too often, self-proclaimed gurus cause more harm than good. They blur lines of expertise, overpromise, and ultimately leave clients disillusioned, not just with a project, but with the industry itself.
True professionals know where their expertise begins, and where it ends. No one can be a master of everything. Pretending otherwise doesn’t serve clients; it misleads them.
Imagine an admitting nurse attempting surgery. Or a janitor offering legal defense.
Absurd? Of course.
So why do we accept similar behavior in branding?
Raising the Bar
To the true professionals on the path to mastery: take pride in what you do well. Aspire to be a guru, but remain honest about where you are today. Be excellent at your craft. Present yourself truthfully.
Call out misleading claims when you see them. And raise the standard so high that pretenders can’t gain a foothold.
The path to expertise may begin crowded, but in the end, only the real gurus remain. If you’re looking for partners who know exactly where their expertise lies, contact us.
