10 Traits - 1000 Year Brand

As we have studied 1000 Year Brands, there are some obvious common denominators.  There are 3 core traits:  great idea, great relationships, and great business model.  Consider this a running analysis as we continue to discover additional traits and new 1000 Year Brand candidates.

1. Low employee turn-over. In fact, a common issue with 1000 Year Brands is extracting the “tribal knowledge” from long-term employees.
2. An original simple idea that still remains - OR - the inspiration and implementation of new ideas that keep a brand relevant.
3. Stories - especially about employees or customers.  A good sign of this is when you don’t need a press release to get the story out.  You just tell it (usually via your site or employees) and it gets picked up by the masses and the media.
4. A respect for tradition but an obsession with staying relevant.  This is closely related to just being “cool” within a community of people.
5. A sense of inevitability.  This doesn’t mean that a brand becomes a verb (i.e. Xerox).  It means where the brand becomes a verb and it truly is what is done - i.e. FedEx’d, Googled.
6. Outward manifestation of reverence.  This could be tattoos, stickers, customer-created advertising - or simply a photo of a guy’s dream car hanging in his cubicle.
7. A respect for traditional and heritage, but a brand that is still fresh and new.
8. A “family tree” of former employees and executives that went on to create their own 1000 Year Brands.
9. Consistently staying at the top of 3 key lists:  Best Places to Work, Most Respected Brands, and Long-term Stock Value.
10. A legacy, typically done quietly, of community involvement.

It is not necessary for a great brand to have all of these traits, but as we look at 1000 Year Brands like Coke, Apple, Google, FedEx, Jack Daniels, and hundreds more, you can definitely see a pattern of greatness.  In addition, a 1000 Year Brand doesn’t have to be famous.  It could be a local company who is big in the hearts and minds of their area of influence.

As always, your submission of additional traits is encouraged and appreciated - along with you providing us some great 1000 Year Brand and/or Simple Idea stories.

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