Turn a sprint into a marathon
Getting something right once is fairly easy.
There’s a veeery long list of one hit wonders that have graced (and grazed) our ears over the years. From a-ha’s a-ha moment to Carly Rae Jepsen’s infectious and (hear us out) excellent Call Me Maybe, everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame at some point.
But to get things right over and over again… that’s a whole different story.
Sure, barring the odd ill-advised karaoke night, your brand team doesn’t need to do an awful lot of singing. (Emphasis on awful). But the principle of doing consistently great work that builds a long-lasting legacy still rings true.
Brand growth takes more than a moment in the metaphorical limelight – we’re looking at you, Cannes. It needs consistent, hard work to happen backstage, night after night, town after town.
Your brand needs to endure the trials and tribulations of the road. The test of time and its ever-changing trends. Brands aren’t overnight sensations – believe it or not, some have lasted more than 1,300 years. That’s because brands aren’t popstars, they’re athletes. And athletes understand that repetition is their secret weapon.
If your brand is going to grow, you can’t afford to get bored of it. You need to be sure you’ve found the right sport. Then you need to find the joy and purpose in the repetition. To see the growth, even though it isn’t always linear.
You need determination, but you can’t chase the finish. It’s a long distance. With every milestone, you just need to keep moving forward. Staying true to what you stand for, no matter the setbacks.
It’s a tough slog so you’re going to need people around you who motivate you. Creative people who will cheer you on, help you pick up the pace, and give you a little booster when you hit the wall. Pick your partners carefully. Twenty-six miles is a long way to run with someone who doesn’t listen to, or understand, you.
At some point you’ll need to push past the lull of the 20k mark and remember how thrilling those first few miles were. Those heady days when you’d just launched your rebrand and everything felt exciting.
The real hard work starts when that monotony kicks in. It might be tempting to take a rest, or even a sneaky shortcut. To cut a corner and change strategy. But brands, like athletes, grow through consistent repetition. Applying new creative thinking to the same solid direction, year after year, mile after mile.
The good news though, is you don’t have to hold a pee in anywhere near as long as a marathon runner would. So, nip to the loo, lace up those trainers, and keep running towards a brand future that lasts.
Who The LR We?
StudioLR is the creative agency that believes in guts. We’ve been grabbing people’s insides and making them interesting since 2004. If you liked this blog, you might like this one which talks about finding new creative ideas. And also features that Vinnie Jones ad.
