I love the Olympics. Something about seeing the world united and playing games together is just awesome. I stayed up late Friday night to watch the entire opening ceremony (yes, midnight is late for me: I have 2 little kids who wake up at 6:30am whether I like it or not). During the ceremony I was so struck by all of the country flags...

The country flag is the ultimate form of Brand Identity.  It takes everything about a people group, their culture, beliefs systems, etc and wraps it up into a small rectangle.  At face value, that small rectangle is nothing but a grouping of colors and shapes.  Yet watching the Parade of Nations Friday night, I was struck with how much pride each country has and how it's all represented in the Flag. Without the Flag, how do they explain themselves without saying anything?  What can they all look to when their National Anthem is played when their athlete is on the medal podium?  It is a representation of that country and evokes tremendous pride and unity.

So the next time you find yourself questioning the importance of branding, imagine replacing your countries' flag with another country flag.  No offense to Canada, but that Maple Leaf will never replace my stars and stripes.

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