Communication is the key to great branding and when I was at AAA as an Advertising Coordinator they really stressed that their brand was at “Every Point of Contact”. That message (thanks Becky!) has stuck with me and our clients have benefited greatly as well from that doctrine.
Table of Contents
Points of Contact Not all, but a decent list:
- Website
- Newsletters
- Business Forms
- Signage
- Packaging
- Exhibits and Trade shows
- Proposals
- Voicemails
- Publications
- Web Banners
- Letterheads
- Business Cards
- Billboards
- Ephemera (something transitory or short-lived)
- Vehicle Graphics
- Services
- Employees
- Speeches
- Presentations
- Networking Events
- Telephone
- Word of Mouth
- Direct Mail
- Omaha web design
- Blogs
- Social Media
- Sales Promotions
- TV, Radio
- Print Advertising
- In-Store Experiences
Now, every point of contact may seem like not a big deal but have you ever called a company and simple decided against using them from how they answered the phone. Or how a sales person treated you on the floor. Even some of the best restaurants with great cuisine will continue to be unvisited because of one bad waiter. There’s a great deal of choices out there why would a customer subject themselves to anything less than a great experience.
Be the best brand you can be: Combine imagination and craft with intelligence and insight.
Brand identity is something that appeals to the senses and generates a tangible experience. You can touch it, hold it, see it, hear it sing and watch it move. It is the fuel that drives recognition and amplifies the companies difference from it’s competition. Brand identity makes great ideas meaningful and accessible; truly taking many different elements and unifying them into a seamless system.
Make Sense?
If not look at Target. Pepsi. Coke. Amazon. Many parts. One unified message that organizes color, spirit, message and design. The end result is something that embodies the intangibles emotion, context and things that matter most to today’s consumers the essence of the company.
As new companies come out, competition increases and creates a near infinite amount of choices. Companies need to look for ways to connect to customers to create lifelong relationships; connect emotionally and become irreplaceable
In any case, a strong brand will stand out in the densely crowded marketplace. People fall in love with brands (Starbucks), trust them and truly believe in their superiority to their competitors.
A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or company and illuminates answers to the following fundamental questions:
- who you are?
- who needs to know?
- how they will find out?
- why should they care?
To sum it up, a brand should help consumers choose from the infinite amount of choices and should reassure the consumer that they’ve made the right choice through communication on the intrinsic quality of the item they purchased. Also, a brand should use distinctive imagery, emotional associations and language that encourage customers to identify with their brand.
Honestly, there’s a lot more to this basic branding, but I think your getting the picture. Choose your audience. Communicate with them often and with consistency. Calibrate your message to entice your demographic to identify with you. Simple words sometimes hard to do
All branding is design driven and victory belongs to the most persevering. Look at GAP they changed their logo in 2010 and a week later moved it back because of customer backlash.
Fact. Not all ideas are going to work even if they seem great.
Branding is a disciplined and in-depth process that is used to build awareness and extend customer loyalty. Omaha Web Design. Great branding is driven from the top down meaning if the CEO isn’t behind what marketing is doing you’ll find their graphics staff in the bar after work bitching about why the message is failing. Make no mistake. Investing in your brand is an investment in your companies future. As technology advances we must seize every opportunity to express why individuals should choose your brand over another.
Great companies will outpace their competition or give off that perception even if they are neck and neck. Really what’s the difference between Nike and Rebook in the 90s. I didn’t know then and I’ve never invested the time but I know that I like my Nike’s
As you proceed with your companies marketing efforts remember to invest in your core strengths and don’t skimp on understanding the consumer you may be surprised that your strengths are not what you thoughts. Next don’t fear innovation. It’s a driving force that won’t let you sit still and finally remember to communicate and do so often!
The process of branding is simple and structured.
- Conduct Research – Your brand is not what you say it is it’s what they say it is.
Process: Perception > Behavior > Performance - Clarify Strategy – The best brand strategy is developed as a creative partnership between the client, the designer and the strategist
Alignment: Vision > Actions > Expression > Experience - Design Identity – The right name connects people and captures the imagination
Process: Naming > Tagline(s) > Vision > Meaning > Authenticity > Differentiation > Durability > Coherence > Flexibility and Commitment > Value Proposition - Create Points of Contact – Social Media is Word of Mouth on Steroids
Brick and Mortar > Web & Traditional Media > Blog > Social Media > SEO - Manage Your Assets – Keep to your strategy. Build a Brand. Protect the Message. Engage Your Costumers.
