The company with the most consistent branding I have ever personally experienced is BMW. The first car I bought (when I was still 15) was a BMW 1600, the precursor to the famous BMW 2002. It was used and cost me $300. It became my automotive project of toil, love, metal, winding roads and speed. It was called “The Ultimate Driving Machine” back then, and it remains the tag line of the company to this day.

I know of no other company that has stuck to one niche and tag line so religiously over so many years.

BMW is marked by its dedication to utterly efficient operations; the user experience is precise and very enjoyable. These days you pay more than $300 for a BMW, and yet, you can feel the quality in every detail and enjoy driving it on all kinds of roads. Even its all-wheel-drives do well in the snow. For these reasons BMW owners are fanatical. Can the same be said of your clients?

BMW’s branding is equally steadfast. Its logo and colors have not changed in generations. (I could not tell you the tag line or colors of any other car company in the world—they change so often.)

Is your company’s branding and user experience so steadfast and ever-present  that it has seared itself into the minds and hearts of your customers?

Identify where your company sits on Jeffrey’s Branding/Efficiency Axis, and determine what you need to do to move into the upper-right quadrant.

Do this and your company will become the ultimate branding machine.

Jeffrey’s Breakthrough Idea: Decide on the customer experience you are selling, and embed it in both your operations and your marketing.

Take Action: This fall or winter, interview a group of your core enthusiast clients on what they like and dislike about doing business with your company. Fix the flaws and double down on your strengths.