How many times have you experienced a “brand” and walked away nonplussed? Or worse, walked away, not even knowing you were experiencing “the brand?”

In my 30+ years as a marketing, advertising and branding professional, I have worked on a wide number of good and bad brands.

This, I can say with confidence: bad brands are almost always born bad.

Either nobody cared about the brand in the first place, or nobody knew what they were doing, and in the interest of getting on with the business, the brand was rushed through the rinse cycle and hung out to dry.

In order to fix the problem, reinvention is necessary, and this requires soul-searching. A litany of questions must be answered, not the least of which include:

• Who do we sell to?
• Why do they care?
• What’s their problem?
• What’s our solution?
• Who do we sell against?
• What do they promise?
• How are we different?
• What core value do we deliver?
• What do we want to be known for?
• If our brand were a living person, what would its personality be?

Of course, these are all good questions to ask when contemplating your brand. You must be able to answer them clearly, because brands are the short-hand for selling, and without a clear answer, you can’t quickly communicate your brand stance. In an instant, you must be able to relate to your prospect, establish purpose and create expectations. This means getting to the bottom of your brand, to ensure that its true essence pervades your entire organization and customer experience – and ultimately rings true.

So, is there one killer question hidden in the list? Does any one stand out as the most important?

I believe the killer question is actually the question behind the question: “So what?” “What for?” “Exactly for whom?” “By whom?” “Why?” “Why does it matter?”

It’s the question that pushes your answer further into nuance. Unfortunately, this restless inquiry often never gets answered, yet it is just what any star brand needs to be a star. It strikes the chord directly. Cleanly. Clearly. It resonates.

“We sell to car buyers.” Exactly to whom? First-time buyers? Women? Environmentalists? Fat cats? Now, you’re getting somewhere.

How are we different? “Our chef trained in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu.” So what? So our food is prepared to the highest standard. So what? So you get a meal that’s worth $150 a plate. So what? So it’s like traveling to Paris for a night on $150. So what? So you can enjoy an international dining experience in your own backyard.

See where I’m going with this? It’s the question behind the question that illuminates the way. It gets to the heart of the issue. It causes you to truly examine who you are and why you matter. Once you understand that, you can begin to communicate your core essence, and instantly telegraph who you are and why you matter, using no more than a good brand.