Branding is more than colours and logos
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – there are two types of marketing professionals:
- Those who believe that 20% is planning, infrastructure, etc., whereas 80% is what you see, and
- Those of us, myself included, who believe that marketing is 80% of what you don’t see and 20% what you do.
This is a fundamental difference in philosophy, and I will explain how this affects branding strategy, brand positioning, etc.
The perfect way to illustrate this is to think of an iceberg. You see the tip of it sticking out the water, but what you don’t realize is the depth or mass to which it expands underneath.
When it comes to branding or rebranding a company, a lot of decision makers automatically start engaging branding agencies, which is fine.
Chances are the brand agency will do at least one initial assessment, possibly two or three to really get a grasp on your unique business.
Here’s where you will know which 80/20 they are. If they come back to you with fonts, colours, logos, icons, etc., without first diving into your brand positioning, value proposition, etc., then they are a company that does 20% substance and 80% fluff.
However, before they even touch colours and fonts, if they ask you what your value proposition is and what you want your brand to exemplify, then you know that it’s a company that will give you 80% substance and 20% visual excellence.
Here’s why it gives you 20% excellence and not 20% fluff.
Because we are establishing what your brand means to you, which is what you want your customers to think of when they think of you, we are allowing the brand positioning statement to define what your visuals should look like.
For example, if I know a bit about your business or industry, but little about your brand, how do I know what your brand should feel like?
The answer is I don’t.
So, if I don’t know how it is, then how should I be able to define it visually?
The answer is I can’t.
Establishing your brand at each touchpoint in your customer journey will make sure that you never make a wrong decision, as everything is based on your defined values, and it will also ensure a “world-class” customer experience with your company.
And that, my friends, is how you do branding that will not only make a tremendous impact on your business, but also last as long as you want it to.