The strongest brands aren’t the ones with the biggest ad budgets, the highest profile celebrity endorsers, or the snappiest jingles. No, strong brands have at their core one thing in common: they know what they stand for and they execute against that knowledge in everything they do.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the seven secrets to strong brands: here’s the first:

Secret number one: Be yourself. There’s nothing sadder than a conservative company trying to be hip. There’s nothing more confusing to a customer than being bombarded with company messages, all with different personalities. Figure out who you are, and then be more of that. It’s one reason your current customers are with you: be more of who you are and you’ll attract more customers like the ones you have.

Any time you try to be something other than what you are (like the hardware manufacturer who wanted to be known for innovation when they spent nothing on R&D), you set up the conditions for cognitive dissonance with your customers. The minute they figure out the emperor has no clothes, they scoot (think Qwest and their Spirit of Service promise).

-Lynn Parker