Humans can experience five or six types of taste sensations. They are: bitter, salty, sour, astringent, sweet, pungent (eg chili), and umami (eg savory). We have the taste buds for this, with an assist from our sense of smell: so there must be a reason we can identify these flavors. And, because we are capable of enjoying each of them, then they all can have a place in the cuisine we consume.
In other words: there’s not a good, better best or bad judgment on these flavors. There’s personal preference, born of associations – like the taste of your mother’s chicken soup. Some people liked browned butter on their Brussels sprouts. Some people don’t want any butter. Some people cannot abide the taste of Brussels sprouts. It’s all in the buds and the brains of the consumer. Most of us enjoy a little of everything. Everything is good in moderation.
Until I gave up sugar three months ago, I had always scoffed at people who said things like, “Oh, this dessert is too sweet!” I could have a Krispy Kreme donut with a ball of Ben and Jerry’s on it, soaked in hot fudge: and that wouldn’t be sweet enough. You can see why I had to give up on sugar. It just wasn’t doing what I needed anymore. Like any substance, our relationship started out great and I just kept upping the ante until I realized I’d never get that feeling again. So I quit.
After three months off sugar, I tasted a nectarine. My goodness! That is sweet! And, a little sour! A bit of a salty bite! Astringent finish! Unlike a glazed white flour donut, real food like nectarines are multi-dimensional. There’s not one overpowering, in-your-face flavor that you can’t get out of your mouth until you drink a hot cup of coffee to wash it down.
How does your brand taste? I bet it’s a too something. Most of us are.
Think about the experience your audiences have as they consume you. Your audiences are your boss, the people you work with, recruiters you want to impress, investors, prospects, clients, prospective referral sources and more. They get a taste of what you’re offering in your conversation, social network posts, emails, texts, and what you do in meetings and presentations.
For example, I am tired of the sour, too hip for words attitude I get from some of the people I do business with. I recently fired a vendor, not because she didn’t have the talent and services I needed. I just could not stand her snarky putdowns of everyone and everything. She dissed her parents and served up a lemon pucker when she spoke about her boyfriend. Not that any of this chatter was really relevant to the services she provided. I just didn’t like the taste in my mouth when I was finally free to go about the rest of my day.
It’s not just negativity. As I revealed, I am a sweets person. But even in my heyday: one dessert serving was enough (albeit the hearty man portion size). Endless sweet is just cloying and miserable. An intern in my office has gone on to two more jobs in advertising agencies, in under two years. When she left us for another job, I was so relieved. Her high pitched, singsong, make-believe she’s Ariel the Mermaid deal was wearing us all down, and I handled the complaints. Her next boss dubbed her “sunshine and rainbows.” No one can bear an endless amount of sunshine and rainbows. People thrive in natural light. Different seasons to come and go. Otherwise our adrenal glands just burn out from glare.
The point is: be dimensional. Don’t be a one note Ned or Nelly. Yes, personal brands are clear and consistent, but they are also compelling. No one can live on lemons all day. No one can survive on sugar alone.
Mix up your perspectives, your posts and our perception of you.
