Some brands are “all hat, no cattle”
There’s a saying in Texas that someone who pretends to be more than they are is “all hat and no cattle.” Take away the 10-gallon hat and those folks are revealed as all bluster and BS. There’s really not much there.
Sadly, the same can be said of quite a few brands.
If your brand isn’t the truth, make up a myth
The best brand strategy is not just to tell the truth; it’s to be the truth. Being the truth means that you have a core connection with customers that can accelerate both of you forward, beyond the shallow half-truths that condemn too many companies and their customers to perpetual mediocrity.
Alas, there’s a school of brand thinking that (still) goes by the rule: if your brand isn’t the truth, just make up a myth. This school fashions brands out of tall tales. Not surprisingly, the resulting brands always seem like free-floating 10-gallon hats. Their context is all hat. In their world, cattle don’t count.
Profile of an “all hat, no cattle” brand
When you encounter an “all hat, no cattle” brand, this is what you’ll usually find:
- Stories–tall tales everywhere.
- Myths and make-believe.
- Illusions–and maybe a mirage.
- Endless spin (matter into atmospherics).
- A whole lot of symbol–and very little substance.
Why the “all hat” brand strategy can’t be sustained
For brand builders, it’s often tempting to build their brands as showpiece 10-gallon hats. This is an easier task than building out the truth of a company, and connecting that truth to customers. It’s especially tempting to hire ad agencies (who are most definitely in the hat business) to gin up some sombrero-sized illusions.
The problem with this approach is that customers are not fools. As they wise up, your 10-gallon stories wear out. Eventually you wind up talking into your own hat–and by then it’s the end of the trail.
