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This is an enjoyable way to begin the brand discussion with a group. It generally creates good discussion, and gets participants out of their normal frames of thought. �Forced Relationship� is basically a technique of forcing yourself to think of your organization�s brand in terms of another product or industry. �If our company were an auto manufacturer, which would it be?� Since we often understand other companies� brands better than our own, it is a means to start fresh in our thinking. I usually pick three from the list posted at the end of this article, and spend about an hour on the discussion.

This technique, in various forms, is also known as a Forced Analogy, �How is my problem like a (insert random object).� One approach in a forced analogy is to compare a problem or an organization to the various aspects of something else that is familiar to the participants. How is this similar to a shark�s teeth, a shark�s skin, a shark�s living environment, etc.

As I use the exercise, I give the group 2-3 categories drawn from the discussion guide at the bottom of this post. Usually I use at least one category (such as automobile) for which the various brands are well known by most consumers. Automobiles are generally helpful as a category because there is so much advertising done for them that most people have a pretty good idea of what the brand represents. At the very least, people have ideas about how different sorts of vehicles represent different functionality.
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