Throughout the process of building Snoloha, I’ve done my fair share of reading, researching, discusses, watching and pretty much soaking up everything I can about ‘branding’. My favorite biz / marketing author, Seth Godin, defines it like this:
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”
I’ve also had the opportunity to discuss Snoloha’s branding with Scott (the Big Kahuna), from Brand Identity Guru. He and his wife also operate the St. Thomas Blog (here’s a Snoloha article they did a while back).
Where am I heading with this? I dunno.
It’s been a bit hectic around the Snoloha house lately. We are dealing with a pretty big, unexpected, project….both indoors and outdoors (if the previous owner of this house is reading this…I’d like to kick you square in the pants, numerous times, for a lack of disclosure).
Life throws curve balls at you, I get that. It’s just that I could never hit a curve ball in little league, and there’s been a lot of curve balls lately. But no matter how stressful things get, there is always one thing that hands down always brings a smile to my face and makes me forget about things for a bit…that would be Savannah. She really is ‘little miss magic’.
Last night I went for a run along the bay to clear my head and to check out the waterfront and the marina. Of course I’m thinking about Snoloha and all the house crap that I have to work on the whole time, so my head was not getting cleared (I’m not a big fan of home improvement projects, I’d MUCH rather spend that time on the beach or the boat).
I then came to a sudden stop and just stared at the sun setting over the water as 311’s version of ‘Love Song’ came on. The first night we came home from the hospital with Banana, while mommy finally got some much needed rest, I held this tiny little human being in my arms and we had our first daddy / daughter dance to this song. And since that night, ‘Love Song’ (which I always liked to begin with) suddenly took on an entirely different feeling and meaning. It brings me an instant smile and that warm, fuzzy feeling that only your baby girl can give you. It makes everything fade away and I can forget about the other distractions in life and focus solely on those innocent little chubby cheeks and just be a kid for a bit.
Now…if I could just bottle that same feeling that I get from Savannah, I’d be rich! But since I can’t bottle it, I hope to at least, in a small way, create that sort of feeling with the Snoloha brand. I have people tell me that it helps them escape. Sometimes I am too close to it to know, so it’s good to hear from others.
Snoloha is not a t-shirt brand. The Snoloha brand is a feeling you get. The t-shirt is just the reminder of what Snoloha is. The t-shirts are those chubby little cheeks that help you forget about the realities of everyday life every now and then. Sure, it may not be as powerful…but every little bit helps.
If you care to share what it means to you…please do.
“Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am young again
Whenever I’m alone with you
You make me feel like I am fun again”
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