So, question, how effective is your brand? Does it work, is it working well for you and generating new business?
Branding is all about communicating emotion through design.
Contrary to popular belief, businesses don’t sell products. They sell ideologies, feelings, and experiences. Companies with amazing brands like Coca-Cola know exactly what experience they want customers to have when they make (or consider) a purchase.
For example, the ‘go compare’ website use Pavarotti, that is their marketing. As soon as people think of ‘go compare’ they think of the advert, it is an emotion that has been put into us.
The McDonald’s brand is that whistle, they went through a big re-brand some years ago, to get away from the Ronald McDonald brand and bring new life into the hamburger restaurant.
Your logo is part of your brand, as is the colours you choose.
In a nutshell, branding is the process of researching, developing, and applying a distinctive feature or set of features to your business so that consumers can begin to associate your brand with your products or services.
For example, the Coca-Cola brand has one of the most recognizable logos around the world. The classic red and white lettering, distinctive artwork, and distinctive font have captured buyers’ attention for well over a century.
The brand has developed and evolved over time, as brands are not stagnant, they are alive and grow.
Branding companies come in all shapes and sizes, and brands can be communicated through other mediums of marketing than just TV advertising . Although TV advertising is one of the most powerful forms of marketing to communicate a brand.
Branding was (and still is) misunderstood by being reduced to its aesthetic component: visual identity. For many, whether specialists or not, branding is still just about the visual identity (your name, logo, design, packaging, etc.). Even more so, while the concept of branding and its understanding have evolved enormously over the years, the same old vision of branding is being preached, even by high-level marketers.
When clients think of your company, look at your website, think of your products/services, what kind of emotions are brought to mind?
Have you ever asked a few customers what emotions they feel when they think of your business?
Branding is a part of marketing, in some ways it is the beginning of the marketing journey. While it’s easy to combine branding and marketing into one discipline, they’re quite distinct.
It is also common to hear branding and marketing compared in terms of priorities. The truth is, they are both essential to a successful business and must work together for a company to grow.
Branding also works with other areas of marketing, especially in the digital world of social media.
If you are not sure of what emotions are being brought to mind, this kind of means that you are missing out on an important communication that marketing brings.
If you have a strong image, then you will dominate your industry. Think of some of the big companies in the world, most have a brand we know and relate to (whether we like it or not).
Talking to a creative design agency can give you insight and reflect on brand options.
Your brand is arguably one of your companies most important assets. It gives your business an identity, makes your business memorable, encourages consumers to buy from you, supports your marketing, and can bring your staff a sense of pride.
If you were to say you worked for Google, Levis or Coca Cola, people would think of the brand. They would not think of the product or service but the overall brand.
A brand extends beyond a company’s product or service. Branding gives your company an identity. It gives consumers something to relate to and connect with beyond the service or product they are purchasing.
How effective is your brand going to be if handled by the wrong agency? If you do not feel it is working hard enough for you, then maybe a refresh is something that needs to be considered.
It is always wise to talk to an expert, it costs nothing to get some ideas and thoughts together, and you can always decide otherwise before parting with any money.
Finding the right agency for your business is not easy. There are hundreds of branding agencies in the UK (a quick internet search will pull up thousands of pages).
Choosing a marketing company that knows your industry is important. All industries are different and most branding companies tend to work with products or services in certain sectors.
Branding prices do vary depending on the size of your business, the market you are in, and the fees of the agency (which are based on their experience, their overheads and their profit margins).
It is always wise to shop around and compare creative marketing comparison quotes, get advice from local branding companies that have experience in your industry and have a track record of success.
All branding agencies set their own fees so it is wise to compare marketing quotes. You do not get what you pay for with marketing; the most expensive branding agency does not make them the best.