22 THE LAW OF SINGULARITY

 

The most important aspect of a brand
is its single-mindedness.

• What’s a Chevrolet? A large, small, cheap, expensive car or truck.
• What’s a Miller? A regular, light, draft, cheap, expensive beer.
• What’s a Panasonic? At one point in time, Panasonic was a computer, computer printer, facsimile machine, scanner, telephone, television set, and copier, among other things.

These are all burned-out brands because they have lost their singularity. They could, of course, remain on the marketing scene for many years because of the line-extension generosity of their competitors. But make no mistake about it. Loss of singularity weakens a brand.

What’s an Atari? An Atari used to be a video game, the leading video game as a matter of fact. Then Atari tried to become a computer.

What’s an Atari? A brand that has lost its life because it lost its singularity.

It’s this singularity that helps a brand perform its most important function in society.

What’s a brand? A proper noun that can be used in place of a common word.

• Instead of an imported beer, you can ask for a Heineken.
• Instead of an expensive Swiss watch, you can ask for a Rolex.
• Instead of a thick spaghetti sauce, you can ask for Prego.
• Instead of a safe car, you can ask for a Volvo.
• Instead of a driving machine, you can ask for a BMW.

What’s a brand? A singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of the prospect.

It’s as simple and as difficult as that.