I asked myself a question this morning, one that became more difficult to answer than I would have thought.
Question: What is your single, all-time favorite brand?
By that, I mean a brand that has stood the test of time, creating warm feelings of gladness, enduring attachment, readiness to go-out-my-way for the brand experience, and an easy readiness to tell others about it.
Hmmmm…that would be my wife, actually! OK, let’s limit this to non-relationships…
I thought about products and services I’ve used over the years. There’s Netscape Navigator, my first browser through which I experienced the Internet. How I loved seeing that big “N” symbol with the moving stars, as I first began to explore the early web! And how bummed out I was when Microsoft was able to overwhelm Netscape! Alas, Netscape Navigator, while a very positive brand, was not an enduring one.
Musicians create their own brands, and some, over the years, have embedded themselves in my mind and heart. Ambrosia, Chicago, The Moody Blues, and others in my youth. Nightnoise (a Celtic-oriented Windham Hill group that seems to have, regretfully, stopped recording). Secret Garden. Phil Keaggy. If Coldplay follows on with something as good as X&Y, they’ll join the list. But, each has its place in my eclectic listening universe, and my auditory attachments often go in phases.
Then there is Starbucks. My introduction to more-than-the-usual cup of coffee. I still enjoy their coffee, but more than that, Starbucks opened my eyes to enjoying coffee as a higher pleasure, not just as a cup of wake-up juice. Very much as Samuel Adams caused me to appreciate great beer that rises above the mass-market average. Both of these positive brands span a couple of solid decades, and have earned my consistent recommendations. But does anything go all the way back to first half of my life as well?
Then I finally thought of one. It’s not a product, not a service, not something purchased, but still experienced. It has changed over the years but basically remained true to its mission. It has managed to develop an enduring following – even fanatical to some extent. Can you guess what it is (I’ll give the answer later in the comments).
In the meantime – what is your favorite brand of all time? Is there one to which you are attached above all others? And why? Leave your comments and let’s discuss which brand is truly the “cream of the crop” in your eyes!
