What is your enemy?

I’ve enjoyed digging into David Hieatt’s book Do Purpose: Why brands with a purpose do better and matter more. 

Hieatt built Howies into one of the most influential active sports brands in recent years. After selling it to Timberland, he co-founded the annual The Do Lectures, which was voted one of the top 10 ideas festivals in the world by The Guardian. More recently he started Hiut Denim in his home town of Cardigan. In short, the man’s got serious cred!

In Do Purpose, Hieatt explains the importance of defining your enemy.

“It doesn’t need to be another company,” he writes.

“Maybe you need a bigger enemy than just another brand. It can be bad design. It can be time. It can be pollution. It can be ugliness. It can be bad service. It can be landfill. It can be complexity.”

Hieatt surmises your enemy will become your purpose, your fuel when you’re tired out. The thing that separates you from all the others.

Name your villain

Message coach and author of 3 Word Rebellion, Dr Michelle Mazur, thinks along similar lines, although she’s more focused on the messaging side of things (obviously key to branding).

In an online presentation she gave this week (Five shifts to your brand message that capture hearts & minds while growing your business), Mazur explained the importance of creating a villain and a core message around change.

With a nod to Star Wars, Mazur said: “We need a Darth Vader for our messaging … something to stand against.”

What is your enemy?

Can you name a villain?