6 Branding Lessons From Shark Tank

I love watching Shark Tank, this is my favorite TV show because we can learn so much about branding (and marketing).

These Sharks were able to create hundreds of successful brands, so they definitely know a thing or two about branding a business.

As a branding expert myself, I thought it’d be a great idea to find some parts of the show when Sharks share some branding tips.

6 Branding Lessons From Shark Tank:

1. Invest in good branding
2. Don’t copy others
3. Find a brand purpose
4. Craft your messaging
5. Plan your marketing
6. Become a content creator

BTW—You can also check out this content in the video form on my YouTube channel.

PS. Click the images below to watch these clips from Shark Tank on YouTube.

Ok, so let’s start with the basics.

1. Invest in good branding

It’s extremely important to get your branding right from the beginning.

Your customers and investors alike will certainly appreciate that.

Here’s a clip of Lori Greiner appreciating the branding of the Genius drink:

"I love the packaging. I love the look, I love the logo. Everything. I think is really, really great!"—Lori Greiner

If we look at it closely, the branding actually is really, really good:

Keep in mind that your branding gives you an opportunity to tell the story.

It must be unique, original and true to what you do.

You can find free branding resources on my blog, or listen to branding experts on my podcast.

Also check out my youtube channel, where I share tutorials on: brand strategy, logo design, web design and more.

2. Don’t copy others

The second branding lesson is about being original, remember that is not about blending in, but rather standing out.

If you try to imitate your competitors, they might call you out on that—check what happens when branding goes wrong.

Here’s a clip of Robert Herjavec who just caught a copycat on Shark Tank:

“Does it not bother you that you designed something that looks from a logo and name perspective almost looks almost exactly as another product Lori invested in?”—Robert Herjavec

When you compare these two logos side by side, they may in fact look too similar in some aspect (name, colors, font).

Here’s also the clip of Lori making a point about plagiarism:

“Your logo is so close to Scrubb Daddy’s. You use the same font... It never crossed your mind? When your logo is really close—I don’t like that and I don’t want the confusion in the market.“—Lori Greiner

Of course, eventually the company had to redesign the logo—but this could have been avoided altogether.

I’d strongly advise you to do everything you can to make you brand must to look legit—right from the get go!

If you do it right, you will be able to make a good first impression on both: your customers and on your investors alike.

3. Find a brand purpose

Besides having a good name, logo and packaging—you should also consider finding a brand purpose.

You see, customers these days want to buy products from purpose-driven companies.

Here’s a clip of Emma Grede, where she explains the importance of having a brand purpose:

“Businesses now need to have some kind of a purpose, right? And you actually have that. You're just not telling us (...) that' the biggest miss here.”

Just to give you more context, also take a listen to what Mark Cuban said about that as well.

“That's your whole sales pitch: it tastes great, doesn't use water, low cost, low cal. And oh by the way, there's antioxidants—and you didn't use it at all. You should repackage it to something that has to do with saving the country, the world from droughts. That's your missing piece...”

Now, depending on what type of company you have—you can always find something to stand for.

Learn more about brand purpose in my other article.

Also check out my free brand strategy guide, where the first exercise is about finding a brand purpose.

4. Craft your messaging

Whether you can find a great purpose or not, you’ll certainly need to craft a clear and concise brand message.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs get it wrong—they tend to focus on too many things at once.

Here’s a clip of Barbara Corcoran talking about the messaging that she found very confusing:

“I find your messaging is mixed up. I’m not sure if the message is ‘save your finger’ or this is a fashion statement(?)” —Barbara Corcoran

For the context, this entrepreneur sells rings that are made of silicon. First, he told the story about how he almost lost his finger, but then he was also talking about the ring being a cool fashion statement.

Remember—if you confuse, you lose!

Focus on solving a singular problem or on offering a single value proposition, so that people can remember you for that one thing.

Don’t try to be too many things at once, cater to a specific audience.

5. Plan your marketing

The next branding lesson is about having a plan for your marketing, because the ability to reach customers is key to the success of any business.

Even if you’re just starting out, you’ll have to create a marketing plan.

Here’s a clip of Kevin O'Leary talking about the importance of having a marketing strategy.

“It’s missing focus on marketing. I have a hard time parting with $600k to test things out...I can‘t go there with you—I don’t see a strategy. I’m out.”

It’s crucial to be able to answer a few questions like:

• Where do you market your brand?
• How much it cost to acquire the customer?
• What's the customer life-time value?

Check out my other article where I feature top marketing books.

6. Become a content creator

Depending on what type of business you have, but most b2c and even b2b businesses need become good at content creation.

Here’s a clip of Mark Cuban talking about why most businesses these days need to create content on social media:

“You’ve got to come up with a way to sell it. Do some fun with it on TikTok. You’ve got to be great content creators.”

Key takaways:

• Every company needs a content strategy.
• Leverage social media (TikTok, Insta, LinkedIn etc.)
• Start a blog (SEO) or YouTube channel.

Most businesses these days need to be good at marketing.

Every business must produce some kind of content about their products / services.

Conclusion

Good branding is essential to the success of any business.

You should hire a professional if you can, but otherwise if you’re on a budget—you can do it all yourself.

Here’s a clip of an entrepreneur talking about how he learned branding from books and was able to do it all by himself.

“I’ve read 6 book about branding... designed my own packaging, my own website”

If you want to learn about branding—I’ve got a lot of resources on my website. Check out my Blog and Podcast for free branding resources.

Plus, I also sell premium courses, guides and frameworks on my Shop.

Which are the exact frameworks and methodologies I use with my clients.

Whatever you do, just remember that: Good branding is good business.