"We're moving on."
I received the image to the left in an email this morning (click to enlarge). It was meant to be funny, and it is. But it's also a slap in the Patriots brand face. If you don't follow pro football, here's the brief backstory:
The New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick have been fined by the NFL after the team was caught videotaping New York Jets defensive coaches giving signals during Sunday's 38-14 victory. Belichick spent seven minutes yesterday, warding off a barrage of questions about the illegal videotaping that will cost him $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000 and, possibly, a first-round draft pick.
"I know there is a lot of interest here on the situation and decision last night, but as I stated, it's over and we're moving on," Belichick said to begin his news conference in Foxborough, Mass. "All my energy and focus and attention is on the San Diego Chargers game Sunday night. That's where we’re at."
That may be where he's at, but the Patriots brand is somewhere else.
What is a brand?
This morning, I pulled out of my driveway under rainy skies on my way to a high school football game. Unfortunately, I had left my baseball cap at my office. So I made a quick stop to fill up with gas, grab a hot cup of coffee, and find something to cover my head. Even though they were on sale, and despite being an avid fan, I simple could not purchase a Patriots cap. Not today.
I've written this countless times before: A brand is an expectation of someone or something delivering a certain feeling by way of an experience. And that feeling is always self-reflective. It's always about the identity of the chooser. Today, the feeling of being a Patriots fan is a conflicted one, at best. And make no mistake about it, it was Belichick's smug response that tarnished that feeling. As Jennifer Wielgus of phillyBurbs.com so aptly summed it up:
"When somebody acts like they're smarter than us, or better than us, or above dealing with us, or don't have to follow the same rules as the rest of us, we relish any opportunity to knock them down a peg or three. We want to see them walking in our shoes - the ugly, ill-fitting loafers of the admittedly imperfect."
The current leaders of the Patriots have proven that they know how to win. Now let's see if they truly understand what makes a brand great; and that's being something to aspire to, something that makes us feel good about our imperfect selves in their bigger than life presence. Because we can't all be winners in life, but we can play the game with passion, integrity, humility, and humanity.
Until then, and when the rains fall from the sky, I'll be reaching for my brand new Red Sox cap.
Moderating a panel in NYC during Adweek. Exposure. 
