Why Brand Strategy is Crucial to Brand Building
Brands initially exist to differentiate products and services from other similar products. We need brands to differentiate the problem that came with market choice.
The needs of brands have evolved to become beacons and communicators of brand values, announced by the company to be shared by the individual. We use brands to tell the world who we are.
The biggest mistake we make in marketing is believing choice is a benefit. No, it’s a tax. Consumers don’t want more choices, they want more confidence in the choices presented.
— Scott Galloway
Branding and building communities
Of all the things that your company owns, brands are far and away the most important and the toughest. Founders die. Factories burn down. Machinery wears out. Inventories get depleted. Technology becomes obsolete. Brand loyalty is the only sound foundation on which business leaders can build enduring, profitable growth.
— Jim Mullen, Scottish businessman and CEO of the publisher Reach plc
Good branding builds community around products and services. Good branding builds brand equity and customer loyalty. Consistent branding builds long-term trust in the company.
The meaning of brand identity
Brand identity fuels recognition, amplifies differentiation and makes big ideas and meaning accessible. Brands are messengers of trust. Customers are reassured by brands that are recognisable and familiar.
—Alina Wheeler, branding expert and author of Designing Brand Identity
The word “identity” is derived from the Latin word idem, meaning “same” and facere, which means “to make”. When people identify with something, they “make it the same”.
In branding when we talk about the idea of identity, we often overlook the customer. It is the customer that uses the products to create their identity, just as the brand identity is created by the company. People buy luxury clothes to identify with what they believe the brand means in the world. It is the core brand values that define the meaning.
What makes a brand great?
A great brand resonates with its audience by sharing values
A great brand is honest and compelling
A great brand is consistent in its messaging
A great brand is true to its mission
Brand strategy
Great brand strategy is a basic building block of good business strategy.
—Alina Wheeler, branding expert and author of Designing Brand Identity
Brand strategy is important as it gets to the heart of the company, uncovers its core values, and strategizes how best to communicate in a compelling way through its voice—mission & promise, and its face—its visual identity.
Using a brand strategy template helps us guide our clients, through the process. Brand strategy workshops are also an amazing way to put the process into action.
More posts in Brand Strategy —
About BrandWerks —
BrandWerks is a design resource company focused on advancing the practice of brand strategy.
We know that brand strategy can be a difficult beast to master. We create brand strategy templates and resources that help designers, agencies, and brand strategists master brand strategy.
Our tools are actionable and fully customizable and founded in a commercial approach that helps guide you and your clients through the process.