When I was a kid our family’s last name was the only “Wehrmann” in the Toronto phone book. Whenever we traveled I’d look for the Wehrmann name in the local phone book.

I never found any until I went to Germany.

Today I can jump on Linked in™ and Facebook™ and find lots of people with my last name as well as many with my first name too - which is a great way to think about both personal + corporate branding.

Each Frank Wehrmann that you’ll encounter in life will likely be a white Anglo-Saxon male who utilizes German + English as his primary + second languages + vice-versa. He comes in all sorts of shapes + sizes, along with blonde or brown hair . . . in his younger years.  

And that’s about where the common denominators end.

Because there is only one Frank Wehrmann with 40 years of international media buying + planning + account service + creative service advertising agency experience. There’s only one who works out of Toronto + who has worked with many of the world’s top ad agencies + brands.

The previous paragraph is the foundation for my professional USP. It allows me to set myself apart from all of the other Frank Wehrmann’s out there - as well as all other ad agency practitioners. 

Note that it’s not just one specific thing that sets me apart, but a combination of many applicable (advertising business related) attributes. I can draw on many other experiences to demonstrate interest in + knowledge about all sorts of (advertising) stuff to further differentiate myself from all of the other Franks and Wehrmanns of the world. 

Pulling a brand’s USP together + bringing it to life requires a similar foundation to build future brand propositions + messaging around. The greater + more dynamic the brand character’s depth + breadth, the better. 

For a brand to engage a person the unique qualities need to come to life in ways that are meaningful intellectually + emotionally. 

The practical side of the equation needs to satisfy the logical Head that asks questions like; “do I really need that?”, “does this represent good value?” or “does this help me get to where I want to go today, or in life?”

The emotional side needs to give the “Heart” permission to believe that this product or service will help to refine my identity + contribute to my story in an emotionally compelling way.

#UNIGNORABLE

#UNIGNORABLE

#UNIGNORABLE

Once a man was telling a story, it was a very good story too, and it made him very happy, but he told it so fast that nobody understood it.

Content

One of the greatest challenges in advertising is to ensure that the story you want to tell is told in a way that resonates with your intended audience. There’s a lot of millennial advice on the web that encourages writers to post “authentic”,  “genuine”, “value added” information. I suppose they’re all coming of age and rediscovering that the advice their parents (and grandparents) gave them years ago, about making your message relevant (to your audience), is sage advice that's as relevant now as it was "then".      

Pace

Pace relates to the message and the selected medium since one impacts the other. Think brief billboard message versus long direct mail letter or brochure. 

A great idea needs to be presented in a medium that enables you to get the idea across - and into the consumer's head - where it needs to take root. If it doesn’t, you’ve just wasted your best, and maybe your only good shot.

I found this unattributed quote in the Women’s Art Museum in Washington D.C. If it doesn’t make sense to you now, mull it over for a few weeks or months because it's the kind of advice that pays dividends for life.