“How about,” I offered, “Every special person eats cabbage in a lovely lovely yard.” It sure didn’t make a lot of sense, but it was memorable. (And she did get the word right on her test, which is what really mattered.)

Teachers often use mnemonics to help students memorize lists or spellings. “Never eat soggy wieners” for “north, east, south, west”. “Big elephants can always understand small elephants” for “because”.

Why do mnemonics work? They work because they associate images and ideas that are familiar or funny or amusing with something that is more random and less meaningful.

On the flip side of the coin, acronyms can be used to convey powerful ideas and associations, as demonstrated in Chip and Dan Heath’s book Made to Stick. Here’s a neat little exercise from the book that demonstrates how ideas can be captured in just a few letters.

You’re asked to look at these letters and memorize as many as you can.

J   FKFB   INAT   OUP   SNA   SAI   RS

In this configuration, they don’t make a lot of sense, but rearranged:

JFK  FBI   NATO   UPS   NASA   IRS

These acronyms are easy to remember because of the strong associations and feelings we have with these names, places, and organizations.

One problem with acronyms is that they are overused. Having worked in the high-tech and medical industries, I can attest to the infinite number of meaningless (and difficult to remember) acronyms.

Used in a meaningful way and nurtured, however, an acronym can convey complicated ideas or build strong brand associations in just a few letters. Think GE, IBM, UPS, and yes, IKEA.

If you want to use acronyms for your brand or products:

• Consider not using an acronym at all by finding a simpler idea. If you can start with a simpler idea or concept, you might not even need an acronym to explain it.
• Don’t use acronyms for anything and everything.
• Choose an acronym that in itself conveys some desirable characteristic of your brand or product. For example, the B.C.-based non-profit United Chinese Community Services Society is known as  S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
• Try using an image or graphic treatment to communicate the idea. Web optimization experts WiderFunnel use a proprietary framework for analyzing conversion pages, the L.I.F.T.^TM Model, that includes an illustration of an airplane to describe the six landing page conversion rate factors.
• Look into trademarking the acronym if it’s truly unique and you want to protect it.

Here’s a coffee cup sleeve from JJ Bean, one of my favourite coffee roasters in Vancouver.

“Cupping: IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK. Cupping is the process where JJ Bean staff grind, smell, slurp, savour and select wanna-be coffees for our cafés. Sure, it’s a chance for staff to geek out, but it’s also how the best tasting coffee ends up in your cup. (Cupping…still sounds funny.)”

This is not something you’d find on a Starbucks “As I see it” cup.

This copy works because it’s fun and cheeky, and tells us that JJ Bean is willing to take some chances and experiment. The copy also conveys JJ Bean’s dedication to quality and finding the perfect bean.

Reading this, you can imagine the clientele: artists, free agents, urban hipsters, professionals, and anyone who really knows coffee and is willing to go out of their way to get a cup (like I did the other day while downtown).

You can also imagine what part of Vancouver you might find a JJ Bean in:  downtown, urban neighbourhoods, and markets. (Though I told the guy brewing my coffee they really ought to consider opening a store in South Surrey where we could use a boutique coffee shop.)

JJ Bean’s website isn’t quite as cheeky, but is written honestly and sincerely, and shows a passion for the company’s roots. The telephone poles and wires, and Victoria at Powell street signs add an urban, edgy touch.

1. You can’t make this stuff up. Great brands aren’t knock-offs of other brands. They’re original.

2. The characters are real and authentic. Great brands don’t try to be something they aren’t. Customers see right through forced and fake brands, or brands that are “too” (fill in the blank).

3. The stories are memorable. The human race thrives and is built on stories. Stories are also sticky. Great stories can help make a brand great.

4. Reality TV created its own category. Breakaway brands have done the same.

5. Even the great brands can turn themselves into train wrecks. Jon & Kate + eight. Even the best-managed brands can implode.