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What Branding is Not
First of all, a brand is not a logo. Logo is short for logotype design-speak for a trademark made from a custom lettered word. The word logo caught on because it sounded fancy, but really means nothing more than a symbol, emblem, avatar, typeface, or monogram. For instance, IBM calls their mark a monogram, and Nike calls theirs a symbol. The point is that your logo is not your brand, it’s merely a component to represent it.
A brand is not a corporate identity system. An identity system is just a 20th century system to control the use of trademarks, trade-dresses, and corporate publications. Identity systems do help with consistency, but consistency alone does not create a brand.
A brand is not a product. Marketing people often talk about how they manage their brands, what they really mean is their product line, sales, etc. Managing a brand is much less tangible, it’s like and aura, and invisible layer of meaning that surrounds your business. It’s the driving component behind the organization’s purpose.
What Branding Is
A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It’s a GUT FEELING because we’re all emotional intuitive beings, despite our best efforts to be rational.
It’s a person’s gut feeling because in the end the brand is defined by the individual, not the company, market, or the general public. Each person creates their own version of it. While companies can’t control consumers decision process, they can influence it. When enough individuals arrive at the same conclusion, a company can be said to have a brand.
1. Differentiate >>
The first step in creating a compelling, profit driving, consumer connecting brand is to define the answers to three little questions. Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter? It’s amazing what critical branding information can be found here.
2. Innovate >>
A combination of good strategy and poor execution is like a Ferrari with flat tires. It looks good in the specs, but fails on the street. This is the case for at least half the brand communication done today. With strong collaboration and brilliant innovation we can avoid “blanding”.
3. Validate >>
Building a brand from feedback (validation), allows consumer communication to get stronger and more focused. This model is a blueprint for revolution. It transforms brand communication into a contact sport, and spectators into full participants.
4. Cultivate >>
Done are the days of “consistent identity”. Cultivating a living brand is a collaborative performance, and every person in the company is an actor. Together, we deploy strategies to keep the brand alive, fun, and real for not only the consumer but for the people representing it.
