“We need help to develop our brand” or “We need to rebrand our business” is what business owners who have been referred to me often request. But, this is rarely what they really want.
As I dig around in this familiar conversation, I find out that what they are actually asking me to help them with is designing a new name, or a logo, and a visual identity to go with it. Once we have those things in place, in their mind they have developed a brand or rebranded themselves, and now they are on their way to being the next Apple or BMW. They’re mistaken.
I spend a lot of time educating clients about what a brand really is. What’s interesting is that not even a group of branding experts can seem to agree on one simple definition of what a brand is.
My goal is to help you understand what a brand is. Let’s start with what a brand isn’t.
A brand is not:
•a logo;
•a name;
•a visual identity (fonts, colours, design style);
•a product, service or company;
•a tagline or slogan;
•an advertising campaign;
•a website;
•front-line or back-office staff; or
•a spokesperson.
While there were 82 different answers in the LinkedIn discussion, I noticed that there were three common themes that kept appearing.
While each on its own does not completely explain what a brand is, threaded together as components of an equation, they reveal a more complete picture.
The promise: This is what a company intends to provide to their customers that both really matters to the customer and makes their product/service/business different from their competitors. This is called the brand promise.
The experience: This is the collective experience delivered to a company’s customers (good or bad). If developed intentionally, the experience supports the promise.
This is often where I spend a lot of time working with my clients to figure out how to deliver their brand promise consistently throughout every interaction a customer has with their product/service/business. This requires some broad thinking and a lot of strategy, which is why we call this the brand strategy.
The result: This is what people share with others about whether what they have experienced is in line with what the company has promised.
So, as a result: The promise + the customers’ experience + what these customers tell their friends about your company/product/ service = your brand.
One of my favourite brand-related quotes, from Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, illustrates something very important to note about developing a brand:
“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Reread that and think about it for a moment. It’s a powerful statement. Your brand is something you can influence, but not control.
Your brand promise and brand strategy are things you can intentionally create in a controlled environment, but once it actually leaves the lab, it’s open to the world’s interpretation and every individual’s perspective.
So back to the logo. I think you’ll now understand why a logo alone is not the brand. By simply seeking to only develop a logo and a visual identity, business owners are only scratching the surface of a much larger business opportunity.
Developing your brand can be one of the most powerful business tools, second only to your business strategy. There’s good reason for taking the time to develop your brand promise and strategy.
These are the controllable elements to create that deep psychological, emotional (and sometimes physiological) connection with your customers.
These connections, when consistent, develop trust and loyalty. What brand doesn’t want loyal fans?
The grandfather of advertising, David Ogilvy, put it this way: “Any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes genius, faith and perseverance to create a brand.” •
