Several Days Later I Had the Perfect Response

You know that feeling when you’re in the shower replaying a conversation from two days earlier and you now have the perfect response? This is one of those moments.

I recently conducted a workshop on brand strategy and AI. I tried to make the big ideas stick with a few alliterative takeaways. Vibes Over Volume was the first one. 

As I began to move on to my next talking point a hand went up. A woman in the room, I think from either the legal or finance sector, said something like “we have a t-shirt with a funny line on it (she mentions the line). Is that what you mean by vibes?”

I can’t recall the non-memorable answer I gave, but several days later I got it!!!

So to that nice woman, here’s what I was trying to communicate:

I love the t-shirt. I remember thinking that the line was genuinely funny. But does the t-shirt go with the pants? And do the pants go with the shoes? What type of jacket are you throwing over it? Would a hat really pull the entire fit together? If so, what type of hat? Fedora? Cowboy? Baseball? If baseball, what type? Dad hat? High crown? Six panel? Five panel? What about sunglasses? And on and on…

More importantly, what does your entire wardrobe look like? Is every piece intentional and consistent? Do you give off the same vibe each day? That’s not to say you can’t spice it up now and then. That can create interest…as long as it’s not completely “off brand”.

Lastly, what are your friends wearing? Do your sales friends match the vibe? What about the executive team, the product team, customer success, events, the Lollipop Guild? (BTW, sameness is not the point. It’s about consistent expression over time.)  

Volume is the opposite of all these things. And it just so happens that volume is now easier than ever. It's not an advantage now (if it ever was). Long-term, thoughtful vibes will eat volume for lunch every day of the week…but it requires proper consideration and discipline.

Separately, but adjacent, have you ever noticed that the fashion trends that tend to spread almost always start from a niche culture or sub-genre? Whether it’s skate culture, hip-hop, rock music, the

wild west, or fitness fashion, we're all influenced and drawn to what resonates with us. There's even a sub-culture in Japan embracing "Cholo style"! Now that’s niche. And mostly definitely a vibe! Hell, I’m a "laid-back-surfer"...a guy from the desert that sees the ocean about once a year. When something is “vibey” it travels and resonates.

Vibes is my casual word for something “brand people” have been trying to name forever. Brand essence. Soul. Personality. Je ne sais quoi. I used it because it was  alliterative and hopefully memorable.

What do you call it?