IRDC

I had a nice chat with Stanley Hainsworth, our closing keynote speaker, as we were talking through the finer points of his presentation on the importance of defining who your brand is (and how to go about doing that). The very first thing that went through my head afterward was that cheese-tastic scene from "Wall Street" when Charlie Sheen stands on the balcony and emotes: "Who am I?" (Heh.) Then, though, I thought more about some of the retailers he mentioned that do this well.

Do you know "who" Harley-Davidson is? Sure, you can picture that guy. Starbucks? I can see that person, too, I guess, though not as clearly as I once could. What about Target? Urban Outfitters? Kroger? Lowe's? Best Buy?

Some are easier than others, and some, you might argue, can't -- and shouldn't -- be defined so narrowly. It'll be interesting to see if, and how, Stanley's reasoning can be applied to any brand, and not just those with a highly focused demographic.