Is your brand getting lost in translation?
This article first appeared in the October 2026 issue of Dorset Life.
“Tuna fishing with James Bond.”
“Sorry… what?”
If you’ve ever played the kids whispering game, or made a telephone from two cups and a piece of string, you’ll know how we got here. The message probably started life as something perfectly recognisable, like “To infinity and beyond!”. But after being passed from person to person, the original meaning gets scrambled beyond recognition. It’s funny at a kids party, but in business, that’s an issue, so having a concise message that can easily be passed on is invaluable.
We regularly meet business owners who can talk passionately about what they do for half an hour without coming up for air. But when somebody walks away from that conversation can they explain it to somebody else in a single sentence? Because however much has been said, there’s only so much they’ll remember.
A couple of years ago, we worked with an organisation that operated across multiple sites in the South West and offered a wide range of services. Every member of staff could explain their own area, but struggled to describe what the organisation had to offer as a whole. As a result, customers only ever used and recommended the particular services they knew, while the broader story was lost. Our role wasn’t to invent a new story. It was to uncover the thread that already connected everything they did. Once that central idea was defined, people had a simple way to explain what the organisation did, making recommendations easier and helping more of the business benefit from word-of-mouth referrals.
That’s important because every recommendation relies on somebody else doing your explaining for you. If a customer has to work hard to describe what makes you different, more often than not, they won’t bother. The easier you make their job, the more likely they are to recommend you. That’s why clarity isn’t just a marketing issue. It’s a growth issue. When you’re next introducing yourself to someone new, pay attention to how much you’re saying. Are you explaining what you do, or explaining why you’re different? There’s a big difference.
Most businesses can list their services. Fewer can clearly articulate the one thing that makes them memorable. A useful exercise is to imagine how a customer might recommend you to someone else over a coffee. What would they actually say? Would they describe the thing you most want to be known for? Would they mention the benefit you deliver? Would they explain what makes you different from the alternatives? Or simply say nothing at all!
Being passionate about your business is important, but customers don’t always need every detail. They need a simple takeaway. When your customers are effectively your sales team, you probably don’t want “absolute hero” turning into “absolute no-go” somewhere along the line. The clearer, simpler and more distinctive your message, the more likely it is to survive the journey from your business to your customers and beyond.
Could you say what makes you different in one sentence? Find out where your brand stands with our free Brand Health Check or put in a time for a chat…