There are some weird questions that branding professionals make.
Questions that might seem useless -or even a bit nuts- until you get the gist of what they are trying to unveil.

Don’t try to answer them from your logical brain. They are designed to connect with a deeper, primordial part of yourself. We could even say that they are trying to speak to your soul.

A typical branding question is this:
“If your business were a flavor, which one would it be?”

But before you try to answer it, let me share with you a story that will help.

The Power of Scents and Flavors in Branding

For a long time, I couldn’t drink coffee. It was too much for my hypersensitive nervous system. Nevertheless, from time to time I would make a coffee for myself.

Not the plain type of coffee. No. I would indulge in an ice-cold coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Why? – you might wonder.
Because it took me back to a happy place and a happy time of my life. To a summer visit to my uncle on the coast of Alicante.

My relatives loved sugary, strong, ice-cold coffee with vanilla ice cream. It was a special treat because back then my mum never made coffee at home. (she never liked the taste of it, even though she loved the aroma).

On top of that, this coffee was only made on special occasions. It felt like a ritual into adulthood to me, and it was a bit magical. The coffee would freeze over the ice cream in amber like yummy, amber-like crystals that I enjoyed breaking with the spoon.

But, you know what? The important thing wasn’t the coffee, to be honest. It was the mood it put all of us in.

It was summer…
We were all relaxed…
…and surrounded by family.

Those were good times in my life, and iced coffee with vanilla brings me back to the joy, the warmth, the peacefulness I felt back then.

Smells are very evocative. They transport us to distant memories, to other times and places.

What experience do you want your customer to have?

You need to be intentional about how you make people feel in your business.
That will make such a difference.

There are enough business people using fear, manipulation and scarcity tactics to get the sale. won’t you agree?

I personally want people to feel inner peace, warmth and a sense of relief from reading my articles or working with me. I want them to feel safe to be who they truly are because I know that from authenticity creativity can flourish..

So now that you’re ready, let me ask you this:

If your business were a flavor, what type of flavor would it be?
Let me know in the comments below.