Brands as Discography

I was thinking last week about guilty pleasure music. Not necessarily the artists you wish you had hidden in an alternative iTunes library when someone's looking through your music, but the songs by the bands you love that just aren't the typical. Maybe it's when they come out with a record that just isn't quite as powerful as previous ones. Maybe it's when they try a concept album, against their better judgement. Whatever it is, we often stand by our favorite artists even when they go for something simple, pop-y, or just fun for the sake of being fun.

Really, this makes a lot of sense. We often appreciate music by an artist based on the emotional connection we have with them. As a result, we appreciate the journey, the deviation from the usual. These pieces might not always stand alone, or even fairly represent the overall discography, but we appreciate them all the same. (Um, "Honey Pie"? We love it because we feel like we’re seeing new sides of the people we already love, cherish, and admire.)

The same goes for brands, and this is a big discovery for me personally. I always like the cleanliness, the centric nature of brands that stick to their pillars of truth. I have a hard time accepting ad campaigns built purely on “joy” or “goodwill” for the company. To me, strategy has always been essential, and every piece has to be on the same dart board as your brand truth. But like our favorite diversions from the typical in our music, I’m suddenly floored by the idea that that’s what I might love about individual campaigns, and our consumers have some of these same reactions.

I know I'm probably late to the game on this one, but I've always heard the arguments without understanding. Hopefully this helps a few of you out there as well.