Be a Branding Rock Star

Grant Heston | March 5, 2024

This past weekend I was dancing on the floor of Sphere — the mind-blowing $2B+ concert venue of the future in Las Vegas — as U2, my favorite band, played Mysterious Ways, one of my favorite songs.

The performance made me think of our branding work. As Edge played the song’s outro, Bono sang lyrics from George Harrison’s classic My Sweet Lord.

“I really wanna see you, Lord ... I really wanna be with you ... But it takes so long now.”

Other than a focus on the Almighty (implied in Mysterious Ways and explicit in My Sweet Lord), the songs have nothing in common. But somehow the combination worked spectacularly in the moment.

The branding lesson? Embrace the unexpected.

I would have been happy with the standard ending to a beloved song. But the surprise delighted me and will live in my memory as a concert highlight.

So how can we deliver that same joy to those who count on our work? We can start by embracing our inner rock stars: shake things up. Poke holes in the status quo and see what pours out.

Some outcomes will be inspiring, others will be dead ends. One thing it won't be is boring. Or what's expected.

Mysterious ways, indeed.