As a kid, I played an inordinate amount of tennis. If there was a chance to play, I played. Even if I couldn't find a partner, I'd smack a ball against the garage doors. As a result, I got pretty good. So I started to buy good equipment. Rackets. Clothing. Shoes.

One of my favorite purchases was a t-shirt with the Adidas 3-stripe logo.

I liked it because I felt like the company really understood those of us who took tennis seriously. What was important. What our culture was like. And what motivated us.

Wearing their logo was a badge. A badge that symbolized I was part of a tribe of players who were serious about the sport.

That t-shirt made me feel good. It was uplifting and inspiring.

Why is this so hard for brands to understand?

We all have had experiences where we were moved by a brand. Inspired by something it stood for. Or maybe we simply felt understood.

That's powerful stuff that sticks with people. Here I am telling you a story over 40 years later about the impression a brand made on me.

Yet, when so many of leaders make decisions about their brands, it seems they forget what it was like to feel that connectedness. That inspiration. For me, that feeling of putting on that t-shirt.

Head vs. Heart (spoiler alert: the heart wins)

Brand messages get filled with descriptions of the quality craftsmanship. Or thread counts. Or durable stitching, Little space is given to the magic we feel. Often it's because we're too afraid of leaving out one more feature that someone might just need to know to make a buying decision. 

The irony of that is that we don't make buying decisions on those rational factors. We buy with our hearts. And then we use those rational factors to justify why we made the decision. It's not conjecture. It's biology. We can fight it. But it won't change how we're all wired.

Embrace the wonder

It's important to create strategies and frameworks to help us define what our brands are all about. Otherwise we would be blasting out a million different messages or constantly chasing the latest trend.

But these strategies and frameworks need to get past all the rational reasons and embrace the magic that a brand can stir within us. 

And don't think that this is the exclusive realm of sportswear brands or some other darling product. Every brand has the power to stir some sort of emotion within us. All it takes is finding those moments that brought someone a little joy. Or relief. Or pride. Or even exuberance. And then building our brands around that magic.

Sure people will still want to know about your durable stitching. But that's not why they will become your evangelist. That happens when they feel like your brand understood that what they really wanted was to be inspired.