With any business, branding is vital. This is no doubt something you have heard before but sadly, where a lot of companies trip up. Good branding will deliver eye-catching imagery, a clear vision of who you are as a team and as a business. It will be aligning and remembered by your target audience. So, why do so many startups and SMEs find their branding failing them? I believe it is all about purpose.
What’s the Purpose of a Brand? When considering the most crucial question, the purpose of a brand, most companies acknowledge similar avenues: to make money (of course) with their services or products. Others seek too on-the-nose deliveries of what it is they do. Most companies miss two key ingredients: passion and personability. Address what is essential to you and why you are passionate about what your business does. This is then what you need to portray to customers who are excited about the same thing. Good connections are made on what we have in common, and that’s no different when it comes to branding. The 4 Key Elements of Branding In the beginning, building your branding can seem daunting and confusing, which is why it’s helpful to start with what you do know. Ask yourself and the team the following questions to begin to define the branding brief: · Why does the company exist? · What are the company values? · What is the company’s mission? · Where do you hope to see the company in 5 years? These questions will help your business’ branding take shape. A Purposeful Ideology Even the most prominent companies undergo rebranding now and again because they are marketing to a different world than when they started. Equally, companies and their target market changes and brands swiftly adapt to stay in the market. A purposeful ideology, often reflected in slogans or taglines, are what stand the test of time. People Over Products Influencer marketing has changed the game of branding for everyone. Now it is not just your visuals and your slogan that reaches people, but the word of mouth of someone trusted. Brand ambassadors are considered the face of the brand or close associates of the brand, which is why companies work hard for ambassador relationships with people who look the part and, more importantly, live the part. Brand Role Models When branding thought leaders talk about good branding, lots of household names pop up: Apple and Nike, for example. Apple has managed to change the face of branding for everyone by making clear their high standards for their customers and for their teams, who they have also allowed to become household names and given a platform to fame. Apple has also revolutionised packaging, making it something customers keep and hold onto rather than binning because the quality is at the centre of all Apple do, including the sleek and robust packaging with their logo. Nike has been the brand of the people time and time again, using current events to elevate their brand values and goals, standing for equality for everyone and encouraging everyone they can just do it! Brand Integrity Of course, not everyone gets trending topics right, such as Coke’s campaign with Kendall Jenner. After many protests all over the globe, Coke tried to use trending topics to highlight their brand. They chose one of the most significant influencers of the moment and tried to recreate a candid image of one very brave young protester staring into the face of a policeman. Where did they go wrong? They absolutely missed the point of the protests by hiring a white cis, already wealthy influencer. To top it up, they did not credit the photographer or offer anything to the movement in the way of support. People do not respond well to being sold to and want authentic genuine branding that means something and resonates with them. In a world where any brand’s morals can be put to the test with just a simple Google search, it’s time to emerge into the new world with branding that will stand the tests of time and scrutiny.
Vicky Martinez Dorr is a qualified Branding Consultant, Business and Leadership Coach, Speaker and Author with certifications in NLP and TimeLine Therapy® and Magna Cum Laude from Solvay Business School in Brussels, Belgium. With her universe of words, she is on a quest towards helping leaders reconnect with themselves, thrive and move towards an exemplary leadership world.
Her 15+ years of MarCom experience in International Branding and Multicultural Leadership have taught her how to bring efficiency out of chaos in any organisation and people's professional lives. Her findings within the fragmented leadership, have moved her to start working towards a more authentic business world and more humane leadership culture. Vicky is the Founder of www.yourbrandstory.eu and Founder of www.atreefortheplanet.org. She is also an abstract artist. LinkedIn: https://be.linkedin.com/in/vickymartinezdorr
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