Summing up a brand in a single line can be challenging, but it’s an essential exercise to define its essence and purpose. Here are some steps that can help you achieve this:
1. Don’t worry about the line yet: You don’t need to worry about it until the very end.
2. Do your thinking and research before you put pen to paper: Start wide and think big. Don’t edit or rule out thoughts too quickly. Record as many different angles or ways of summing up or looking at your brand as possible. Speak to anyone and everyone who has something to say or might want a say later.
3. Don’t come up with ideas in workshops: Workshops can often lead to diluted brand ideas due to committee weirdness and politics. Use workshops and interviews to get overall opinions, not to come up with ideas.
4. Write up the best ideas long-hand: Once you’ve spoken to the right people and done your research, write up lots of different little ‘stories’ to describe the brand. Aim to write at least a couple of paragraphs, but no more than a page for each one. These ideas and stories should be rooted in your brand and what it’s about. Be as opinionated as you can and think about the main thing you want to say.
Remember, the words themselves are only half of the problem. To crack this sort of job, you need to be really clear about what you want to say in the first place.