Look at these images below and tell me the first thing you feel about each of the pictures.
Why do these brands stick out in our modern society?
What do they mean and how do they affect our lives?
Life in the 21st century is mostly fast-paced and we have 1001 companies trying to bombard us with their ads, trying to get us to open up our wallets.
Whether we’re on the consumer or producer side, we’ve all experienced it one way or another.
Brands have emotions attached to them
Sometimes, you have good feelings about some brands, and sometimes bad feelings about others.
But do you see how you have an immediate response, however subconscious, upon seeing a simple image?
Brands are shortcuts to your heart
With a simple, powerful, moving logo, all the big brands out there have spent millions of dollars and a huge amount of time and effort to create that subconscious feeling you feel when you see it.
And it pays off when you already know what they’re about before they even say anything about themselves.
Iconic Brands have a voice
This meticulously crafted emotion we have for each brand is the distillation of many human hours of identifying the “brand voice”
Every subsequent marketing campaign, advertisement, brochure etc. are crafted based on this central brand voice.
It could convey excitement, virility, trust, stability, empathy, kindness, motivation or whatever is suitable for the branding strategy.
These brand voices must also resonate deeply with the intended audience, building a sense of belonging.
Consider these:
- Just Do It
- The Power of Dreams
- Finger Lickin’ Good
- I’m Lovin’ It
- Life’s Good
Do you recognise them all?
Is it necessary for you to brand yourself or your company?
Every single day, a new brand is created, and every single day, that many more disappear off of the market.
Branding is but one of the many key factors that lead to success.
I have seen some of the best products the world has not had, and the product would end up solving some pretty major issues in the market. But the founding company died due to lack of market traction. And an innovative company acquires this product, rebrands it, and the product becomes some of the more famous products we know today, like Apple iPads, Backrub (now Google), Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo which is now known globally as Sony etc.
Some companies prefer a lean approach, and that is respectable, but all too often, the decision to delay “branding” properly results in mediocrity or in worse cases, complete failure.
Branding is something a company must work on in its early stage to build a sustainable market presence.
Branding is a lot of work
Psychology, narrative, stories, visual appeal, colours, experience, shapes, design, wit, recogniseability etc.
Most importantly, you’ll want a team of experts who have done this countless times.
There are certain pitfalls in branding that companies sometimes find themselves in, and cannot get out of.
Such things include branding for a very specific market that leaves no room for pivoting, choosing the wrong colour psychology or simply creating a voice that is simply too bland or too overt for the intended market.
Every serious business owner should have a double-take on their company’s public image, and if you’re keen, feel free to chat with us on some ideas, at no cost to you.
Even if we don’t end up working together, we hope you’ll learn something about your brand that you can take to the skies.
