Building brands
A memorable brand is more than just a great looking logo, packaging or website. It’s about creating an experience and delivering it at every touch point.
Getting started
There is not a ‘right way’ to do branding. But there is a right approach, a right mind set and the right methodology. Obviously, there most certainly is a ‘wrong way’ to do it.
How we do it
Are you rebranding? If so, why?
We can’t answer this question for you, but in general there are three reasons why a business needs a new brand: 1. You are a new company 2. The business objectives have changed 3. An existing brand is discovered to be adversely affecting performance. What we are getting at is there should be proper commercial reasons to rebrand.
Is there commitment?
Again, this is one for you and we don’t want to put obstacles in the way of necessary change. But branding is an intensive, comparatively costly journey, so before you begin, it’s imperative that all stakeholders are fully on board.
Brand signals
OK, now’s the time to look carefully at what you are as an organisation and how you got here. Then combine it with goals and aspirations and distil the mix down into brand signals. These fundamentals carry the triggers that convey the meaning of the brand.
The brand idea
No, not a mission statement. We are looking for what defines you and makes your business tick. You know, it’s what makes you get up in the morning.
The brand personality
This could take its lead from personalities in the business, the industry, the intended audience – or all three. People are more likely to buy into a brand if its personality is similar to their own.
The brand architecture
Once we have have gained details of products and other parts of the business, we need to establish a clear structure and relationship between these facets.
Creating your brand experience
Now we need to convert these signals into something tangible that customers can see, feel, understand and experience.
Verbal and visual identity
Evaluate your product naming structure. Should we use the traditional approach or an evocative name for each product? A successful rebrand can occur without ever touching the logo, name or brand phrase.
Packaging
Consider all primary touch points early in the process. It doesn’t need to be finalised, but rather we are looking at the verbal structure, the relationship with the parent brand and all the other elements.
Look and feel
This includes the colour palette (main and supporting colours), fonts, photography, imagery style, and any other graphic elements.
Deliver the experience
Great. You have created a brand experience. Now you are ready to deliver that experience to your audience at every touch point.
OnlineForget about the vastness of the internet. It’s all about understanding its relevance to your customers and creating an individual brand experience specifically for them at all junctures and every journey.
Offline
It could be wobbling on a shelf in a convenience store; small, but still clear on the side of a giveaway pen… or on the back cover of a magazine in a reception area. Branding in the outside world is a powerful, 3-dimensional and tactile experience that is, for some, completely critical to their business.
Building Brands | Generating Demand | Harnessing Loyalty