Chartreuse is a vivid color. It has a cool French name and is hard to miss. But is chartreuse yellow or green? It is a color that lies right in between the two. Look at it one way and you think it is yellow, but then, no, you are sure it is green. Chartreuse is kind of both and therefore, it is neither. It is almost lime (but that would be green) and it is almost mellow yellow (which is, of course, yellow!) It is indefinable because it sits in the middle. There are other colors that defy a leaning, one way or the other – such as periwinkle (blue or lavender?), spruce (blue or green?) and burgundy (red or violet?)

What does chartreuse have to do with marketing? Like the color that is in the middle of two definable hues is the brand that confuses its customers by defining itself two different ways. This happens when you want your brand to stand for too many things. For instance, if you are trying to appeal to customers who are looking for the highest quality and at the same time are trying to gain customers by promoting you have the lowest prices. These two are typically incongruent with each other.

The other day, my wife and I went to a seafood restaurant. It was a pricey place, but I like really good seafood. I don’t mind paying a higher price for quality and that is what the marketing for the restaurant said. I ordered the broiled cod. It did not meet my expectations. In fact, it tasted like it came from a fast-food restaurant. Just around the corner from this pricey fish restaurant sat a McDonald’s restaurant, which was advertising two fish sandwiches for $3. I was tempted to send my cod back and go to McDonald's. But is a fast food fish sandwich high quality? No. It may taste good, but you wouldn’t call it high quality. It is inexpensive. If the fancy restaurant was touting the lowest price in town, I may have had a different expectation… and they would have drawn in a different clientele. But they cannot get away with saying they have the best quality and the lowest price. Those that try it will find their customers are skeptical of either the price or the quality – the two ideas are incongruent.

I am often asked why, especially with complex products and services, you cannot have a brand that stands for multiple marketing points. The reason is it confuses the customer. They cannot distinguish what it is your brand is all about. Really good marketing tries to make one point with your customers. It is the point that is the difference maker in their thinking. It needs to be clear and concise. It should never waffle between two points. Stake your marketing to your most poignant feature and drive that point home with your customers.

The best thing that can happen with your marketing is that you define your brand to meet the expectations of your customers. When your customers start to tout the single point you have made with your marketing, you have a winner. When it comes to marketing, better to be yellow or green than to try to be chartreuse.