How to “Marie Kondo” Your Brand

Marie Kondo has taken the world by storm with her unique approach to decluttering. The Kondo philosophy is grounded in the Japanese belief that objects have an energetic presence in our lives – they have the power to drain our energy or spark our joy.

Do you feel “joy” when you look at your brand? Every branded object – your business card, signage, uniforms, vehicle, notebook, pens, USB stick – should embody the feeling you want to portray. If it’s not working to achieve your brand’s promotional message, then it’s working against you and it’s got to go.

Here are three tips to “Marie Kondo” your brand so it “sparks joy” for you, your team and your customers:

1 – Get Organised

What branded items do you have? How are they stored? What is their strategic value? We’ve all got THAT cupboard, corner, pile or storage locker filled with business stuff that we aren’t using effectively because it’s not organised.

Start small. Organise your desk drawer and feel the victorious sense of calm control that it brings. Then tackle the big stuff. Pull out all your branded promotional products, stationery and print collateral. Sit with each item for a moment and as yourself: have I used this in the past year? Will I use this in the coming year? If the answer is no, get rid of it.

It’s ok to hold onto things because they are sentimental but file these memories away in a dedicated storage box. More often than not, we hold onto things because we have already paid for it and in order to feel like that investment was justified, we have to keep it for ‘someday.’ Wrong! These kinds of items are cluttering up your space and your mind, costing you money in productivity.

2 – Be Authentic

Don’t be limited by the ‘normal’ thing to do in your industry. Ditch the status quo and take an authentic approach to your brand’s promotional products. Everyone doing monochrome but it’s making you yawn? Embrace colour in your brand and customers who love colour will embrace your brand right back.

If you have a left of centre, creative idea for a branded item – go for it! Joy is sparked by the extraordinary. Let me give you an example… We have a fertility clinic as a client. Instead of simply adding their logo to a simple, safe pen and giving them to staff and patients, we helped them source and brand up a sperm & egg pen! Adding some well-branded, light-hearted humour to diffuse the rollercoaster of emotions their patients experience.

3 – Share the Joy

Don’t keep your brand to yourself. Come up with new and interesting ways to get your brand out into the world and in front of your customers. Sponsor a sports team and enjoy seeing your logo on their jersey. Take every opportunity to give joy filled branded gifts to clients and suppliers. Wear your brand proudly on your uniform. Drive your brand around town with a car wrap. Reward your team with branded merchandise such as a lunch box or reusable coffee cup. Brand up a cheese board and give it alongside a nice bottle of wine at Christmas. When it comes to sharing your brand’s joy, the options are endless!