We've Got a Branding Vocabulary Problem.
There's no shortage of branding terminology floating around.
Purpose. Vision. Mission. Values. Brand promise. Brand strategy. Brand story. And, of course, the WHY.
You'll find these words on agency websites, in strategy presentations, on company walls and in beautifully designed brand books. They're used by entrepreneurs, marketing teams and some of the most established creative agencies in the business.
Your Business Isn't Your Why. It's Just the Conduit.
Your Business Isn't Your Why. It's Just the Conduit.
I was out for a walk recently with a fellow entrepreneur and awesome human. We ended up sitting on a bench talking about business, purpose and why so many people struggle to articulate their "why."
It wasn't an aha moment for either of us. In fact, it was almost the opposite. We both realized we'd been thinking about purpose in exactly the same way for years. We just hadn't known the other person did too. The word that kept surfacing was conduit.
Why Community Matters More Than Followers
Somewhere along the way, we started confusing attention with connection. We count followers and celebrate reach. We track engagement and chase visibility. And while none of those things are inherently bad, they can quietly convince us that bigger is always better. And that all this equals success.
More followers. More subscribers. More views. More people. MORE. But what if that's not actually the goal?
Audience vs Community
I think one of the most misunderstood words in business right now is community. Everyone wants one. Brands talk about building one. Creators talk about building one. Companies talk about building one. But most of the time, what they're actually building is an audience.
The difference matters.