Why brand identity isn’t just for consumer goods

In the simplest possible terms, the American Marketing Association describes a brand as “a name, term, design, symbol or feature that identifies one seller from another”. But really it’s so much more than that. A brand exists in the consumer’s mind. It’s an idea, expectation, reputation, experience and a promise all rolled into one.

So, how do we tangibly represent brand identity?

The identity of your brand comes down to this:

• Logo
• Colour palette
• Typography
• Tone of voice
• Language
• Visuals: photography or graphic stylings
• Your unique selling point
• Use of technology (for example, are you a leader in your industry for using a revolutionary tool)
• Your company values
• Your customer promise
  

And, not forgetting, a brand isn’t only for your customers, but your employees too. It’s no good to be a company with outstanding customer services but one that doesn’t look after and spark joy into its team. So you need to think how you’re looking after them too, what’s the benefit to them? Is it outstanding benefits, uncapped holiday or finishing early on a Friday.

Does that mean branding only exists in the consumer product world?

No. Look at that list again. Any company can become a brand if you can breathe life into it.

B2B or B2C should be B2P: business to people. Regardless if we’re targeted at work or home, we’re still people.

When you’re selling to people, you need to be able to explain your USP (unique selling proposition). It’s what makes you special and sets you apart from your competitors. As a digital marketing agency, we will help you define your USP. We do this by encouraging you to brainstorm:

• What your customers want
• What you do well
• What your competitors do well
  

That way we can find your sweet spot. Ultimately, your brand is your sales pitch. It plays an important role in creating awareness, education and conversion in your pipelines.

Your brand identity should then be rolled out consistently. In fact, at every point your customers AND your employees interact with your brand.

Consider these questions:

• Does your website reflect your business accurately?
• Do all your touchpoints align visually? (e.g. all email signatures, HTML email templates, social media imagery)
• Do you treat your team the same as your customers?
  

If you’re not consistent with your brand identity, the trust that you’ve built will fall to the floor. As with individual relationships, that of a brand to people, should also be consistent.

How we worked with Grayce to update their branding

Grayce approached us to work on a large digital project which included a brand refresh. Their logo, visuals and tone of voice had become dated. The lack of brand guidelines didn't translate for attractive campaigns. And worse still, they weren’t appealing to their target audience.

Our brilliant, talented designers developed new concepts and refreshed the branding. The task wasn’t to erase what existed, but modernise it.

An updated logo, colour palette and clarity on how to apply it all for multiple uses were delivered. The Grayce marketing team are now able to create powerful campaigns that get results. And with a consistent brand, they now appeal to the right people with appropriate language.

With a revitalised brand and clear guidelines to boot, the team said they feel empowered and confident to compete with the top players in their industry.

Summary

Any company can become a brand if time and effort goes into the process. A digital marketing agency with brand strategy experience is the ideal starting point if you are not sure where to begin. If you’d like to discuss transformation from a company with a logo, to become a living, breathing brand, leave your details below and we will be in touch.