Introduction

Several of the pieces we’ve published at Aeon have touched on the notion of branding and its value in the arena of independent digital media. In some places, we assume that our readers have brand guidelines and offer practical suggestions to incorporate brand considerations into content. In February, we posted a guide to boosting brand presence via Instagram Reels using Aeon in the blog. In the Aeon features content, we also described the process by which Aeon users can customize AI-powered voices to differentiate and match brand style in video, and we presented our tools for automating branded captioning of video.

On other pages, we make the case for branding as a means to navigate the shifting tides of traffic and its interlocutors. In March, we discussed how some publishers leverage their strong brands to generate very substantial ecommerce revenue. And more recently we published two pieces about Google, the first on the fallout from the Google API document leak, that provided yet more evidence that Google is favoring brands over independent content creators, regardless of quality, and the second on Google’s worrisome enshittification and the need for publishers to diversify their traffic-generating strategies, including by building direct audience loyalty through branding.

In the aggregate, we’ve been quietly, hesitantly projecting a Bat-Signal across the night sky above this city, summoning a vigilante/hero to take back the streets from the corrupt online platforms that prey on unsuspecting web users, who—in their innocent search for genuinely entertaining and informative content—are led down some dark alley of sensational celebrity-gossip clickbait, dubious weird tricks and 5-minute life hacks with 1-hour preambles, and impulse-buy dropship superstores, and mugged.

Yup, the social contract is broken. The web’s elite institutions are parasitical. We can’t depend on their beneficence to guide users to us. We can’t simply create high-quality content and leave the rest to providence; we must create content with identity, with a stamp and a voice and a style that’s recognizable, that stands for the values we share with our audiences, so that they know—and they believe in—not just what we make but who we are.

It is through a brand and the products that represent it that we engender the kind of meaningful connection with content consumers that triggers positive associations, encourages follows and subscriptions and shares, and transcends the whims of the algorithms.

Wait a sec. Is this branding stuff just psychobabble, just snake oil salesmen deluded into believing they’re high on their own supply? While we wouldn’t put it past the corporate-creative industrial complex to declare its own nonsense genius, even give itself a gold statue and a standing ovation at a liberally champagned annual gala, there is empirical evidence supporting the idea branding delivers tangible business benefits. In the media context, this old (2011) New York Times gem—written by then Reuters editor, now Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, Christia Freeland—discusses research into the stunning impact of branding in influencing reader perception of quality.

But how does one go about developing a brand? There’s a not-so-cottage industry of professional brand strategists that consults with organizations to understand goals, conduct competitive research, run focus groups, identify target audiences and engagement channels, and build out the guidelines and assets necessary to imbue all outputs with coherent textual and visual messaging (even aural, tactile, and olfactory, where apt, e.g., a music label, textile manufacturer, or spice merchant, respectively).

This is highly customized, bandwidth-intensive, skilled labor. The existence of so many instantly recognizable brands—toothpaste, corn chips, sports teams, eye liner, anime distributors, bananas, securities trading platforms, aeronautics agencies, sparkling spring water, discount department stores, power tools, dishwasher detergent, etc.—is a testament to the field. Many of you reading this will freely admit to having affinities for certain brands and will not balk at the notion that those affinities aren’t just coincidental but carefully nurtured through layers of overt and subliminal messaging operating in concert to make you feel seen.

That sounds like a lot…like it wouldn’t be unfair to charge a tidy sum for brand strategy. Sure. But many of you independent publishers and content creators are squeezing out there. You don’t have the scratch for brand strategy. We understand, but we don’t accept the binary of hiring a brand strategist or having no brand identity. It must be done, whether by a third-party or by second, by hook or by crook, by fair means or foul. (Nah, just idiom dropping. Let’s keep it legal. No crime necessary. You’ll see.)

The idea behind this post is to outline the basic tenets of brand identity and the processes that lead to creating one, and to postulate how a branding novice would go about credibly running these processes without professional assistance. We’re going to examine DIY branding. However, it’s 2024, the LLM age, and although today’s primitive models can’t tailor the bespoke garments of the artisanal branding consultancy, they might just embody the next generation of disruptive innovations theorized by the late, great management professor Clayton Christensen: lower-quality alternatives to expensive incumbent technologies that so significantly reduce costs and expand access to consumers that they fundamentally change market calculus.

So build your brand yourself if you have to. Follow the basic structure, line up the elements, and stick them on everything you produce. It’s worth it.

Knowing Your Target Audience

Before diving into the wide blue ocean of brand identity, you need to deeply understand your target audience, as it is this group that has the power to bestow success on you. For an independent online media publisher, your target audience consists of the internet users consumers most likely to engage with and appreciate your content. Your aim is to tailor your branding to their tastes. If you accomplish this, your audience will recognize a kindred spirit and take a greater emotional stake in your work.

Why Knowing Your Target Audience Matters

1. Tailored Content

          • Understanding your audience helps you create content that speaks directly to their interests, needs, and concerns.

2. Engagement and Loyalty

          • Insights into your audience's preferences can guide the creation of articles, videos, and other media that keep them coming back.

3. Monetization Opportunities

          • Focusing your efforts on the right audience maximizes the return on investments from advertisements, subscriptions, and other revenue streams.


Discovering and Understanding Your Target Audience

1. Conduct Audience Research

          • Surveys and Questionnaires: Distribute surveys to existing and potential readers to gather data on their demographics, preferences, and behaviors.

          • Interviews: Conduct in-depth interviews with a sample of your audience to gain qualitative insights.

          • Focus Groups: Engage small groups in discussions to explore their perceptions and attitudes toward your content and industry.

2. Analyze Your Existing Reader Base

          • Reader Data: Examine your current reader data to identify common characteristics and trends.

          • Content Analytics: Look at the engagement metrics of your content to understand what types of articles or media are most popular and why.

3. Study Competitors

          • Competitor Analysis: Research your competitors to see who they are targeting and how. This can reveal gaps in the market that you can exploit.

          • Social Media and Comments: Analyze social media interactions and comments on your competitors' content to understand what their audience likes and dislikes.

4. Create Reader Personas

          • Demographics: Age, gender, income level, education, occupation, and location.

          • Psychographics: Interests, values, lifestyle, personality, and behavior.

          • Pain Points and Needs: Challenges and needs that your content can address.

          • Content Consumption Habits: How they find and engage with content, preferred formats, and platforms.

Extracting Useful Takeaways for Branding

1. Align Brand Personality

          • Ensure your brand personality reflects traits that resonate with your audience’s identity and aspirations.

2. Refine Messaging and Tone

          • Develop a voice and tone that speaks directly to your audience in a way they find relatable and engaging.

3. Sync Visual Preferences

          • Use the research on your audience's preferences to choose colors, imagery, and design elements that appeal to them.

4. Deliver Responsive Content

          • Highlight the types of content that solve specific problems or fulfill needs identified during your research.

Resources for Audience Research

Understanding Brand Identity

Brand identity encompasses all the visual and verbal elements that make your brand recognizable and memorable. What elements make up a brand identity? That depends on who you ask. As there’s no consensus, we’re gonna plant our flag here with the official Aeon blog Elements of Brand Identity list:

brand-identity



Brand Personality: Your Brand Personified

Brand personality is the cornerstone of your brand identity, setting the stage for each of the following elements on this list, defining how your audience perceives and interacts with you. Think of your brand as a character with its own psychological profile—one that resonates deeply with your target audience and fits naturally with the content you create. If your content niche is outdoor adventure (i.e., rock climbing, offroading, skydiving, big wave surfing, rallying), it’s jarring to imagine your brand as a kindly uncle who’s always ready to buy you an ice cream, listen empathetically when your goldfish dies, pump a fist for a routine pass you complete at your 12-and-under intramural soccer match, and dole out heartfelt encouragement and sage advice when you face life challenges and consequential decisions.

Without a doubt, the kindly uncle is a wonderful brand personality. He appeals to many people who either had a similar figure in their lives or wish they did. But it’s not authentic to the outdoor adventure niche. It’s a safe, comforting brand personality, a mismatch for a target audience that thrills in risk-taking. It undermines the credibility of the brand.

uncle2

The “kind” vs “adventure” uncle

Somewhere out there is an uncle who’s paragliding in Colombia this month and motorcycling across Mongolia next, trying to sneak in 3 days of SCUBA in the Red Sea in between. When he’s home, he’s doting on his nieces and nephews and buying ice creams and attending soccer matches…the works. He resents this article for implying—despite his adrenaline-soaked bonafides, not to mention his special forces military service—that he’s inauthentic. But, no. He’s missed the point completely. He is authentic, but not because of his familial qualities. If he is to model our brand personality, we’d emphasize his courage, daring, rugged individualism, and zeal for extreme experiences. It’s a great brand personality…but not if your niche is chess, Turkish cuisine, crochet, or stoic philosophy.

You get the idea. Your product, your target audience, and your brand personality should be complementary, like peanut butter, jelly, and bread, not like migraines, pocket squares, and spacetime.

But why does this matter? A coherent brand personality enforces consistency of brand communication because it sets the direction and restricts the range of possibilities for everything else in our list. The choices of colors, fonts, and slogans for a brand grow organically from its brand personality.

Brand Story

The brand story encapsulates the journey of your brand, from its inception to its current state, highlighting the challenges, triumphs, and key milestones along the way. This narrative humanizes your brand, helping your target audience to relate to it and invest in its success. 

brand-story

Source: Brandfolder

Tell your brand story using language that’s natural to your brand personality. Some brands are humorous and whimsical, some are mischievous, some are gritty, some are austere, and some are pompous (probably self-defining as sophisticated).The humorous brand should have a funny brand story, like it all started when I boarded the wrong train, fell asleep, and ended up in Poughkeepsie. The sophisticated brand should have a brand story that reads like a lost Thomas Gray elegy, evoking metaphysical wonder while tossing kindling on our celestial fires.

Brandfolder published an excellent deep dive into creating a brand story, including a guide, templates, and examples.

Mission Statement

The mission statement is a succinct declaration of your brand’s purpose and goals. It gives the reason behind your brand's existence, the problem it's determined to solve, the issue that it’s driven to address, or the market gap it's focused on filling. Because everything that a brand does, public facing or private, can be evaluated on whether/to what degree/how efficiently it advanced the mission, the mission statement is a majestically radiant north star in an unmistakable constellation that a brand can align a sextant with to navigate any organizational issue (e.g., accounts receivable, vacation calendars, water cooler vendors), not just branding.

As with the brand story, the mission statement should sound natural coming from the mouth of the brand personality avatar. Oh, and did I mention it’s succinct? I did. Keep it snappy, even if your brand personality is long-winded (which it probably shouldn’t be, but just in case).

Check out Grammerly’s post on writing a mission statement, which has plenty of examples, clear instructions, and a handy FAQ.

Core Values

Lastly, core values represent the principles and beliefs that drive a brand’s actions and interactions. These values should resonate with your audience’s own beliefs. It is through these shared values that communities form, binding a brand to its audience. If this bond is durable and the community thrives, other brands with similar values are brought into the fold, spurring the kind of economic cooperation that spawns community-reinforcing product/service ecosystems.

mission-statement

Johnson & Johnson crafted its Credo in 1943. To date, it defines the values that guide its decision-making

Your brand values make up not so much a constitution, more like a list of commandments that together form the basis of your brand’s ethics, rather than its laws. Probably, there are many concepts, behaviors, and commitments that you value, but the point of the exercise is to prioritize those few that you’d tie yourself to the mast for.

To get the full scoop on crafting brand values, take a look at this article from The Good Kids, replete with definition, examples, and tips on using the values you choose.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Defining Your Brand’s Edge

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is a critical component of your brand identity. It communicates what makes your brand distinct and why customers should choose your products or services over those of your competitors. A well-defined USP captures the essence of your brand’s unique value and serves as a key message in your marketing and branding efforts.

To create a compelling USP, focus on identifying the specific benefits and features that set your brand apart. This could be anything from exceptional quality, innovative technology, superior customer service, or a unique brand story. Your USP should be clear, concise, and aligned with your brand personality.

Developing Your USP

      1. Identify Your Strengths: List out the key strengths and unique attributes of your brand.

      2. Understand Your Audience: Know what your target audience values most and tailor your USP to address those needs and desires.

      3. Analyze Competitors: Study your competitors to identify gaps in the market and opportunities for differentiation.

      4. Craft Your Message: Create a succinct and compelling statement that communicates your brand’s unique value.

Examples of Strong USPs

      • Netflix: “See what’s next.”

      • Domino’s Pizza: "You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less — or it’s free."

      • Spotify: “Music for Everyone.”

      • FedEx: "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight."

      • HBO: “It’s Not TV. It’s HBO.”

      • M&Ms: "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand."

      • The Economist: “Arm Yourself with Understanding.”

By integrating your USP into your brand identity, you ensure that all aspects of your branding, from your marks and visual aesthetic to your voice, reinforce what makes your brand uniquely valuable. This not only helps in attracting and retaining customers but also in differentiating your brand in a competitive market.

Resources for Crafting Your USP

By defining and consistently communicating your USP, you enhance your brand’s identity and strengthen your position in the market, making it clear to your audience why they should choose you over the competition.


Marks: The Vanguard of Brand Recall

Brand names and logos, collectively known as marks, are the visual and verbal cornerstones of your brand identity. These elements serve as the primary symbols through which your audience recognizes and connects with your brand. As with everything brand-related, they need to align with your brand personality and reflect what your brand stands for.

Brand Names

A good brand name is memorable, easy to pronounce, and evocative. It should give a sense of your brand’s unique value proposition and be distinctive enough to stand out in a crowded market. Consider the emotional and psychological responses you want to elicit from your audience. A machine learning middleware company might choose a name—like PolyTensor, nodelift, or Arrayware—that incorporates jargon and exudes data and engineering prowess, while a luxury feminine lifestyle publication might opt for something like Silk Label or Mosaique that evokes a cultured European elegance. Use brainstorming techniques like mind mapping or word association to explore different naming possibilities. Additionally, tools like NameMesh, Namelix, or Shopify’s business name generator can help spark creative ideas and check domain availability.

gas

A name that's hard to forget... for all the wrong reasons (Image credit: Huffpost)


For content creators, remember that the name of your organization isn’t necessarily your only brand name. Maybe you have multiple channels that make up a network, or maybe you have regular segments within a weekly broadcast. Basketball fans might be familiar with one of The Ringer’s NBA-focused podcasts, The Mismatch. Every so often, hosts Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon do a popular segment known as That’s True, That Might Be True, That’s Ridiculous, where they evaluate claims about players, teams, and league dynamics and sort them into the categories in the name. It’s an example of nested branding. The Ringer is a publisher with several niches revolving around sports and pop culture. Each of its shows, like The Mismatch, has its own brand name, but its branding complements and fits neatly into The Ringer’s brand identity. And That’s True, That Might Be True, That’s Ridiculous is itself a brand name that is memorable (at least in part because it itself is over-the-top goofy, which fits with the fun, entertaining, and casual vibe that The Ringer’s brand wants to project).

Logos

Logos, on the other hand, are the visual embodiment of your brand. They should be simple, scalable, and versatile, working well across different mediums and sizes. The design elements—colors, shapes, and typography—must align with visual aesthetic (more on that below). A playful and energetic brand would likely use vibrant colors and wild, undisciplined shapes; a more corporate, authoritative brand would opt for subdued tones and clean lines. When designing a logo, take advantage of free online logo design tools like Canva and LogoMaker, which offer templates and customization options for beginners. And take a look at 1000logos.net’s review of famous and highly recognizable media brand logos for inspiration, considering what each brand represents and how the logos help to convey the brand identity.

logos

Remember, your product names and logos should also adhere to these principles. Product names should clearly communicate the product’s purpose and benefits while fitting seamlessly into the overarching brand narrative. Similarly, product logos should maintain visual coherence with the primary brand logo, reinforcing brand unity and recognition. When possible, solicit feedback from people in your target audience, through surveys or focus groups—or even more informally in customer interviews—to gauge the effectiveness of your marks and make necessary adjustments.



Visual Aesthetic: The Clothes Make the Brand

While your brand's marks lay the foundation, your visual aesthetic is what builds the structure, bringing your brand personality to life in a dynamic and engaging way. The visual aesthetic is the first impression your audience gets and sets the tone for their entire experience. It encompasses imagery, shapes, color palette, and typography, each playing a role in creating a cohesive and memorable brand image that resonates with your target audience. In this section, we'll explore how to thoughtfully develop and integrate these elements, ensuring that even those without a design background can build a visually compelling brand that aligns with their core values and mission.

Imagery

Imagery encompasses the photos, illustrations, and graphics that visually represent your brand. These elements should evoke the emotions and themes consistent with your brand personality. For instance, a luxury brand might use high-resolution, elegant imagery with a sophisticated tone, while a playful, youthful brand might opt for vibrant, dynamic visuals. To effectively build out your imagery, consider using stock photo websites like Unsplash, Pexels, or Shutterstock for high-quality images that align with your brand’s aesthetic. For custom graphics and illustrations, tools like Canva and Adobe Spark offer user-friendly interfaces that allow non-designers to create professional-looking visuals.

Shapes

Shapes play a crucial role in reinforcing your brand’s personality. They can convey a wide range of emotions and messages. For example, rounded shapes often suggest friendliness and approachability, while sharp, angular shapes can convey strength and professionalism. Incorporate shapes consistently across your branding materials, from your logo and website design to social media graphics. Non-designers can use template-based design tools like Canva or Figma, which provide pre-made shapes and design elements that can be customized to fit your brand’s style. 

Color Palette

color-palette

Source: Adobe Color

The color palette is a fundamental component of your brand’s visual identity, as colors can evoke specific emotions and associations. Your color choices should reflect your brand personality and resonate with your target audience. For instance, a health and wellness brand might use calming blues and greens, while a tech startup might use bold, innovative colors like electric blue or neon green. Tools like Adobe Color, Coolors, and Paletton can help you create and experiment with color palettes. These tools often provide suggestions and harmonies that can guide you in selecting colors that work well together and align with your brand identity.

Typography

Typography, the style and appearance of text, subliminally impacts how your brand is perceived. Fonts should be chosen based on how well they align with your brand’s personality. An urban streetwear brand might use graffiti-esque fonts, while a literary magazine might opt for classic serif fonts. Consistency is key in typography, so choose a primary font for headings and a complementary font for body text, and stick to them fastidiously! Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts offer a vast selection of typefaces that you can browse and preview to find the perfect match for your brand. Tools like Font Pair can help you find complementary font pairings, ensuring a cohesive and polished look.

By thoughtfully considering and integrating these visual aesthetic components, even non-designers can create a consistent and compelling brand identity. Leveraging intuitive design tools and resources, you can ensure that every visual element aligns with and reinforces your brand personality, helping to build a recognizable and impactful brand.


Voice: Express Your Brand

Voice is the auditory and textual representation of your brand's personality. A well-defined brand voice ensures consistency across all your communications, from social media posts to customer service interactions. This section will delve into the components of voice: tone, slogans, and vocabulary. Each serves a function in crafting a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience. We'll also provide guidance and resources for DIY marketers to develop and refine their brand voice, ensuring it aligns seamlessly with their overall brand identity.

Tone

The tone of your brand is the emotional inflection you use when communicating with your audience. It reflects your brand's personality and should evoke the right feelings and reactions from your audience. Whether your brand is warm, authoritative, subversive, or spontaneous, your tone should be consistent and appropriate for your target market. To develop your tone, consider the psychological profile of your audience and what kind of language and style they respond to. 

The Way with Words published a curated selection of publicly-available, professional tone of voice guidelines from several top organizations. Frontify and MOO have tone of voice building guides and templates that walk through the process of defining and maintaining consistent tone across all communications.

Slogans

Slogans are short, memorable phrases that encapsulate your brand’s essence and promise. They should be catchy, easy to remember, and reflective of your brand personality. A great slogan can become synonymous with your brand and serve as a powerful tool for brand recognition. When crafting a slogan, focus on your brand’s core message and what sets you apart from competitors. Utilize brainstorming techniques, online slogan generators from Grammarly, Shopify, and Canva, and feedback from your target audience to refine your ideas into a slogan that truly resonates.

Vocabulary

The specific words and phrases you use form your brand’s vocabulary. This includes everything from the terminology in your product descriptions to the language used in your marketing materials. Your vocabulary should be consistent, align with your brand personality, and be easily understood by your audience. Building a brand lexicon can help ensure that everyone in your organization uses the same language, reinforcing your brand’s voice. Portent makes the argument for why copywriters should leverage brand lexicons, and Zapier has a good guide to creating one.



Consolidating: The Brand Style Guidelines Document

Once you’ve developed the essential building blocks of your brand identity—personality, marks, visual aesthetic, and voice—it’s crucial to compile them into a comprehensive brand style guidelines document. This document serves as a blueprint for how your brand should be represented across all channels and by everyone in your organization. It is a baseline requirement to achieve consistency and coherence in how your brand is projected.

After deliberating and building out all the various elements of your brand’s identity, it’s time to bring them together into a document that sets the parameters for on-brand communication. Think of it as a hymn sheet from which everyone and everything representing the brand should sing.

Brand Identity Overview

Begin with an overview that explains the purpose of the document and its importance. Highlight the key elements of your brand identity and how they work together to create a cohesive brand image.

Brand Personality

Outline the psychological profile of your brand, describing the brand story, mission statement, and core values. Include examples of how the personality should be reflected in various types of content and interactions.

Marks

Detail the guidelines for using your brand name, logos, and any other symbols. Include specific rules about logo placement, size, color variations, and prohibited uses. Provide high-resolution logo files and examples of correct and incorrect usage.

Visual Aesthetic

Define your brand’s visual components, including imagery, shapes, color palette, and typography. Specify the color codes (e.g., HEX, RGB, CMYK) for your palette, and include guidelines for selecting and using images and fonts. Show examples of how these elements should appear in different contexts, such as on the website, in marketing materials, and in social media posts.

Voice

Explain the tone, slogans, and vocabulary that make up your brand’s voice. Provide examples of the tone in different types of communication (e.g., emails, social media, advertising). Include a list of preferred and prohibited words and phrases to maintain consistency in language.

As you begin putting your document together, it’s  worth your while to peruse Vennage’s superb, up-to-date guide to creating a brand style guidelines document with templates, examples, and tips from world-renowned brands.



Using the Brand Style Guidelines Across the Organization

Because the purpose of developing a strong brand identity is to build and solidify connections between your brand and your audience, be vigilant about applying branding to everything, always. Your guidelines document is only as good as your team’s commitment to conforming to it. Don’t squander all the hard work you’ve invested in creating a compelling brand.

Training and Onboarding

Incorporate the brand style guidelines into training programs for new employees. Ensure that everyone understands the brand’s identity and how to represent it accurately in their work. Regular refresher sessions can help maintain adherence to these guidelines.

Marketing and Communication

Use the document as a reference for creating marketing materials, social media content, and any public communications. This ensures that all external communications align with the brand identity and deliver a consistent message.

Design and Product Development

Provide the guidelines to designers and product developers to ensure that all visual and physical aspects of your brand, from packaging to promotional materials, are consistent with your brand identity.

Collaboration with Partners

Share your brand style guidelines with external partners, such as freelancers, agencies, and vendors, to ensure they understand and adhere to your brand’s identity in their work.

Regular Updates and Reviews

Keep the document dynamic by regularly updating it to reflect any changes in your brand strategy or market positioning. Conduct periodic reviews to ensure that the guidelines remain relevant and effective.

By consolidating all aspects of your brand identity into a comprehensive brand style guidelines document, you create a unified framework that ensures every interaction, communication, and visual element consistently represents your brand. This not only helps in building a strong brand presence but also in fostering trust and recognition among your audience.



Conclusion

Developing a robust and consistent brand identity has become nonnegotiable for independent publishers and content creators in today’s crowded digital landscape. By carefully considering and defining your brand personality, marks, visual aesthetic, and voice, you lay the groundwork for a recognizable and memorable brand that audiences feel genuine affinity with. Compiling these elements into a comprehensive brand style guidelines document ensures that your team has the information necessary to guarantee every interaction with your audience is on-brand, fostering trust and loyalty.

While the process is daunting, especially without the resources of a large organization, the tools and strategies outlined in this guide empower you to take control of your brand's destiny. Remember, consistency is key. By diligently applying your brand guidelines across all touchpoints, you can create a cohesive and compelling brand presence that resonates with your audience and supports your long-term goals.

Building a brand is not a one-time effort but an ongoing journey. Stay true to your brand’s core values, adapt to changes in the market, and continuously engage with your audience to keep your brand relevant and vibrant. With dedication and creativity, you can establish a strong brand identity that not only attracts and retains followers but also stands the test of time.