Yes. It starts with a simple answer to a simple question: What do you stand for? Write that answer down, paste it inside your brain and make sure everything you do supports it.

In ways, many large real estate names have formulated and thought through their principles. We can all read about them in the ABOUT US sections of their website. The problem lies in the distribution of those principles should be pumped out through every capillary of the organization.

Jotting down some core principles on a static web page is easy. Anyone can do that. Answering to those principles and living it daily — only brands can do that.

One thing I've run across in writing my Counterinsurgency series is just how seriously the military takes its "brand" and "culture".

Honor. Duty. Country.
Semper Fidelis.

Those aren't just silly words or a stupid slogan to them. They really take it seriously.

Examples in the training literature and surrounding literature about training a young man to become a U.S. Marine is filled with an overwhelming emphasis on "character".

This really is no different from what Zappos does — it is indoctrination in the core principles of the organization.

As a result, I somewhat disagree with Victor's formulation of brand:

For (Target Audience), (Brand Name) is the only (business category) that (Unique Offering).

I think in the Networked world, where things change so fast, brand positioning is less important than defining and indoctrinating the principles.

Trouble with real estate brands is that they do not have this "core principle"; small groups/teams have it by virtue of the powerful personality of the leader. But big brands don't take the time to really think this through and formulate the principle.

-rsh

They've literally reinvented the wheel.

I'm not sure if their Harvard Business School case studies are publicly available but if you can get your hands on one do so immediately.

The one on why they pay people to not take a job is fascinating and can directly apply to any job field (even Real Estate). The key point is that once a prospective customer service representative reaches the end of the interview process they can either have a job or $1200 (the exact amount is not coming to my mind at the moment, but it's irrelevant to the point). The workers who take the money are not allowed to re-apply for the job and are clearly not invested in the company and not happy to work there: thus not able to provide customer service that would live up to Zappos standards.

Yes. It starts with a simple answer to a simple question: What do you stand for? Write that answer down, paste it inside your brain and make sure everything you do supports it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZpU8oIT8tM

We see this whenever we go through a brand positioning exercise.

For (Target Audience), (Brand Name) is the only (business category) that (Unique Offering).

Or in the case of Disney, For Families with Children, (Disney) is the only (Entertainment company) that (delivers wholesome entertainment through every media channel).

Try it for a real estate agent – it is hard.

For Buyers, Sellers, Investors, Realtor Name is the only Realtor that what?

The target audience is often too large. To get around this, agents need to pick a specialty and stop trying to be all things to all people.

Once an agent picks a side like seller agent. Then it gets a little easier as the Realtor can focus on marketing sauce as a unique offering. Choosing a specialty does not preclude the agent from handling a variety of transactions, but it allows them to gain recognition for a unique identifier.

All doctors can treat most illness, but they market their unique specialties to build a successful practice. Same is true of other professionals like lawyers, accountants and insurance brokers. Perhaps we only need to look at those brands in our marketplace to find good branding examples (and smile at the poor ones).