Slippery Business - being true to your brand

WD-40 haven't changed their product packaging or logo since its inception in the 1950s - a simple, utility blue and yellow can with a red cap and the letters WD-40 in a large capital letter font.

There are plenty of good stories around online about the marketing prowess behind the WD-40 brand - about how they developed an innovative channel to market (grocery stores) and turned what was designed as a rust prevention spray for missiles into a worldwide household name in less than 40 years. Stories relaying how they refused point blank to produce 'own label' versions of their product and how the ingredients have been kept a closely guarded secret for decades (although urban myth will have you believe that the main ingredient is fish oil).

The WD in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement and it is this feature that is purported to give rise to over 2,000 applications from removing crayon marks to dissolving glue. It is even rumoured to scare away pigeons (they hate the smell). But the stereotypical use for WD-40 is eradicating squeaky door hinges.

Interesting lubricant related facts aside, what's my point?

Rather than repeat what you can learn by Googling WD-40, I'm going to relay something I read in a magazine recently that I though was a perfect example of Brand Congruence.

Brand Congruence is where everything you do stacks up against your brand values. Where you become obsessive about making sure you simply personify your own brand.

John Barry was CEO of WD-40 from 1969 to 1990. He died this year aged 84. During his tenure at WD-40, he was the product's greatest fan and worked hard to convince others to share his passion.

In the 80s, Barry visited WD-40's ad agency where he came across a squeaky gate on their premises.

He flipped his well lubricated lid and scolded the agency's account team....

"Look, if we can't convince you - whom we pay - to stop squeaks in America, then how are you going to convince America?"

He had a point. If you employ an agency to sell your brand for you, and they are tolerating the problems that your brand solves, how can you hope that they will really sell your brand?

If you are congruent with your brand, all of your words and actions underpin your brand values.

If you're not congruent with your brand, some of your words and actions undermine your brand values.

I guess the first step is defining strong brand values in the first place. Once you have that part in place, you can worry about being congruent.

If you'd like to understand a little more about congruence, there's a section in How to be Exceptional that explores the subject and offers simple ways to both define your personal brand and become more congruent with it.