Brand Your Family with Special Moments and Traditions

A company's brand may include their name, logo, tagline and color palate. It is executed through their marketing and advertising methods. But a brand is more than this. It is the “personality” behind the company or product. It is the emotion one feels when they think of the tennis shoe, sports car or box of cereal.

You have your family name, your tagline, your marketing plan and now it is time to brand your home with personality and emotion – just like General Mills did with Wheaties.

Stand for Something

First, you gotta stand for something. You're kids need to believe in something special and big. It gives them purpose and a broader perspective on life. Some families stand for issues like protecting the environment. Other families stand for helping in humanitarian efforts and service. And others may stand for religious virtues. Whatever you believe in that is good and honorable, pass it on. You do this by living what you say is important to you. If you want to keep the Polar Bears alive, then set up a lemonade stand with your kids and donate the money to an organization fighting for the cause. Get the family involved!

Family Time

Family time together should be a priority, but hard to pull off in our demanding world. Work, school, errands, kids' activities, housework, yard work, volunteer work… The list goes on. And while these are obviously important to the family as a whole, finding time to spend together should be just as important. There are two ways to get that family time in: scheduled and spontaneous.

In the moment, fly by the seat of your pants and be spontaneous. All of a sudden the elements come together and your whole family happens to be in the same room. Quick, announce you're going to make root bear floats or ice cream Sundays (and turn the TV off). Everyone will gather round. Or if you don't have any treats, pile in the car and go through a drive-through for ice cream cones. Just don't let these moments pass you by.

Family time can also be scheduled. This works great for families who can set aside a particular (expected) time each week or month. Maybe it's every Wednesday night at 7:00 PM or on the first day of every month. Choose a standard date, time and place and create the expectation that everyone needs to be there. Use the ice cream treat again to lure the family there. Then go and have fun. You could go to a movie or watch one at home; take a walk or hike a trail; visit grandma or go shopping; play miniature golf or go bowling. Anything that will be fun and bring you together.

Traditions

Another way to brand your family is through holiday traditions. Holidays can be a special way to create fun and unity in the home. Remember back to your favorite childhood memories. What traditions did you love? Was it putting cookies and milk out for Santa, coloring Easter eggs or watching fireworks on the fourth of July? Maybe every Thanksgiving you would help your mom make an apple pie from scratch. You can still smell it baking in the oven. These family traditions create extra-special memories. Recreate them for your family and add a new one or two. The trick is to be consistent year-by-year. Some of the best memories start with: “Every year, my mom used to…” These become traditions.

Branding your family through believing in something, family time and traditions gives your family personality and creates emotional appeal. It's who you are. It's the glue that holds your family identity together. Brand with purpose. Branding takes time. Make memories.