What Miyamoto Musashi can teach us about brand strategy.

Miyamoto Musashi ​​(1584–1645) is Japan’s most famous and regarded as the most skilled swordsman. His status is almost mythic in Japan, the way people in the West would give deference to Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan. However, Musashi’s life went beyond the battlefield, and he became the gold standard of living in Japan.

Musashi dedicated the early part of his existence to pursuing perfection through life with a sword. In that pursuit, Musashi won more than 60 duels as a ronin (samurai without a master), participated in several battles under different masters, and created a unique fighting style. Later in life, he became an accomplished artist, poet, teacher, poetry writer and wrote the famous Book of Five Rings.

I became an admirer of Musashi for his way of looking at every single task as an opportunity to reach perfection and improve ourselves. But, above all, I became an admirer of how Musashi approached life in general. To that end, he wrote 21 rules to live by that summarize his thinking. I try to apply his 21 rules to my own life with varying degrees of success, including my work.

And, since I do brand strategy for a living, what kind of advice can we get from Musashi when managing brands?

But before we start, let me remind you that this is my way of interpreting Musashi’s rules and applying them to branding.

1. Accept everything just the way it is

Branding is an exercise of discipline and consistency. But, unfortunately, over time, we tend to be pulled in different directions and lose our focus. As we encounter challenges along our path, we create realities that do not necessarily match how things are.

Take, for example, the practice in corporate America of the ‘end of the quarter push.’ The exercise is always a mystery. The goal is to create plans that deliver unrealistic results created by false expectations based on inaccurate projections.

Consequently, we start to steer away from our initial brand strategy and compromise the very plan that has served us well in the past.

2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake

A brand exists to help consumers succeed. The hero of the story is the consumer, and the brand is nothing but the guide that will help the consumer succeed.

As a brand, all the actions we take must deliver value to the consumer; otherwise, it becomes an academic exercise. Therefore, every single step is an opportunity to present the brand the way we want people to perceive it in the long run.

3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling

Successful brands are constantly in touch with the consumer and customers. They don’t rely on ‘gut feeling’ or ‘hunches.’ Instead, these brands are consistently in tune with the market by either staying in touch with the consumer or running research that brings valuable insight.

Even innovative companies like Apple that prefer leading the consumer are in constant research mode to understand trends and attitudes from society.

4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world

I once had the opportunity to speak with Adam Lowry, co-founder of Method, and heard how Method refused to launch a 99.9% disinfectant for surfaces. The reason was simple: Method did not want to break its promise. According to Lowry, they had not found a chemical compound that would deliver that level of cleaning and not harm the environment. Method was thinking about the consumer and its promise, not how to make an extra buck.

5. Be detached from desire your whole life long

A brand’s purpose cannot be to make money alone. Please understand, there is nothing wrong with making money, but the main reason for a successful brand will never be to make money. Therefore, when managing our brands, we must keep in mind the higher objectives that led us to create the brand in the first place. That’s the only way to offer authenticity, differentiation, and a story that connects with the consumer.

6. Do not regret what you have done

Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn. Successful brands are transparent and learn from past mistakes to improve the way they serve their customers. There is little glory in dwelling on the past. Instead, take the lessons learned and move on.

7. Never be jealous

Don’t try to make your brand like others. There is nothing new in the world. The only thing we can do is to offer the same, just a little different. To do that, stick to your story and deliver on your promise consistently over a long period. Let others do what they do. You do you.

When Korean brands LG and Samsung entered the US in the early 2000s, they took the market by storm with their innovation, sleek design, and technology-driven products. But, unfortunately, the reaction of US manufacturers was to start to copy both brands. Consequently, brands like KitchenAid detached from what made it successful — culinary passion and craftsmanship — to pursue the ghosts of LG and Samsung with catastrophic results.

In less than ten years, LG and Samsung climbed their way from a speck in the market share graph to becoming two of the three largest appliance manufacturers in the US alongside Whirlpool.

8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation

As time passes, your brand will evolve, and you may have to reposition or relaunch your brand altogether to adjust to the market’s new realities or consumer perceptions. However, brands that embrace the challenges of recent times and actively change their images can and often do succeed.

My favorite example is Old Spice and their repositioning from Smells Like Grandpa to “Smell Like a Man, Man.” The 70-year-old brand was barely noticed by younger consumers when NFL player Isaiah Mustafa became an icon with the irreverent Old-Spice commercials.

9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others

James Dyson once said that he dedicated five years of diligent work in his workshop before creating the Dyson Vacuum cleaner. Asked if he ever got frustrated and considered quitting, he answered, “the difference between those who succeed and those who fail is that those who failed decided to stop along the way.”

To have a business and manage a brand is to flirt with potential failure, frustration, and loneliness. Rare are the days we don’t have to deal with disappointments. Even worse is when we work hard to build our brand, but nothing seems to happen. You can get as mad as you want and complain the days away. But, unfortunately, none of that will change your situation. The only thing that will work is to stay true to the strategy you created for your brand and continue to deliver on your promise daily.

10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love

Passion is never a good advisor. In our desire to make our brand succeed, we often go beyond the point of no return and compromise our carefully crafted brand strategy.

Consider when brands establish overly ambitious goals. Uncertainty, added to the fear of not achieving the goal, leads the team to work harder and make bad decisions. Team members increase their emotional investment in the plan and stick to it, regardless of their best judgment. Often, results are mixed. We mortgage long-term success for short-term objectives and, in the process, damage the image we are trying to create for our brand.

One real-life example of a disaster due to passion occurred in the dawn of 1 August 2008. On that day, 31 climbers set off for the final day’s ascent of K2 in northern Pakistan, despite all the signs against proceeding. Less than 48 hours later, 11 climbers would be dead. They were prepared and experienced but allowed their irrational desire to reach the summit to dictate their actions.

No matter what, keep your cook and stick to the brand strategy you created.

11. In all things, have no preferences

Stick to the script. People come and go, but the brand must continue to show the same face, independent of people’s preferences. In summary, there is only the path that supports the brand positioning and delivers on its promise.

12. Be indifferent to where you live

In our interconnected world, news can jump from one market to the next in a matter of seconds. Consequently, your brand lives pretty much everywhere. All consumers deserve the same attention and care, regardless of their location. Treat them all with respect and deliver on your promise.

13. Do not pursue the taste of good food

To build a brand, we must do what must be done rather than what we want to do. Once we make a promise, it must be delivered consistently at every single touchpoint.

14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need

We often see brands holding on to ideas and products that no longer represent the brand any longer. The brand manager needs the courage to either retire or reinvent them.

It took Segway Inc. two decades to discontinue the Segway flop. This is a classic example of hanging on to a product or idea that no longer serves a purpose for the brand.

15. Do not act following customary beliefs

Often, brands are inclined to follow the rules of the industry and follow the competition. Unfortunately, since everyone is thinking the same way, there is very little gain from that kind of logic.

Apple had to break away with the rules of the computer industry — speed and memory capacity — in order to become the brand it is today. Through design and ease of use, they inspired those who were not tech savvy and inclined to “think different”.

16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful

In the context of branding, I read this one simply as ‘stick to what you are good at doing’ and improve daily. Brands that expand beyond their capabilities tend to suffer in the long run.

From Colgate’s kitchen entrees to Harley Davidson cake decorating kits to Cheetos Lip Balm, plenty of lousy brand extensions are available. Stick to what you know and do it better than anyone else.

17. Do not fear death

Part of having a business is to live with the reality that it may go under any time. Your brand has to live with the conviction that it is doing its best to help consumers. Other than that, things are beyond your control.

18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age

While spending time in corporate America, I’ve always had an issue with the consistent pursuit of more significant numbers next quarter. It’s just not possible to continue to grow forever. Instead, a successful brand must focus on doing things right today. If that happens, the future will take care of itself.

19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help

You have to show up every day to do your best for the customer.

20. You may abandon your own body, but you must preserve your honor

There is no excuse to break a promise. Make sure your brand delivers on that promise consistently. And, if the brand fails from time to time, own up the issue and make it right by the consumer.

21. Never stray from the way

Brands thrive on integrity. What you say, what you do, and what you think must be the same thing. As simple as that. Successful brands never stray away from their promise.

It’s remarkable to me how much of the way of the sword can be applied to brand strategy, and, why not, any other area of business.