What Is Branding?

There is a large difference between a brand and branding. A new logo, typeface, website, etc is not part of developing the initial brand idea – those are branding activities. You can’t do branding until you have a differentiated, relevant brand idea on which to base your branding activities.

Branding is how you go about establishing your brand’s differentiated meaning in people’s minds. Branding is about signals – the signals people use to determine what you stand for as a brand.

Have you established a differentiated meaning for the brand? What makes your brand unique? Is it a difference people care about? Do enough people care about the brand difference that the brand can turn a profit? Can the business strategy support the brand’s difference? These are all questions to ask before you think about developing any of your brand’s touchpoints because they involve the brand idea. Only after you have a strategic plan together based on these questions can you move on to creating brand signals such as a new website, social media platform, print campaign, or advertisement.

Branding is the creation of signals that convey what your brand stands for and establishes its difference in people’s minds. A brand is the idea. Branding is the transmission of the idea.

What Is Brand Identity?

“Products are created in the factory, brands are created in the mind” – Walter Landor

While brands speak to the mind and heart, brand identity is tangible and appeals to the senses. A logo is the point of entry to the brand. Brand Identity is the visual, verbal, and tactile expressions of the brand. You can see it, touch it, hold it, etc. On an average day, consumers are exposed to 6,000 ads and no less than 25,000 new products each year. It is now more important then ever to create strong, differentiated, and relevant brands.

Why Does It Work?

Brand awareness and recognition are facilitated by a visual identity that is easy to remember and immediately recognizable. Visual identity triggers perceptions and unlocks associations of the brand. Developing a consistent, solid brand identity is essential to create triggers – folders on a mental desktop – in your customer’s minds.

When is Brand Identity Needed?

From the moment we wake up to the time we go to sleep we experience 6,000 marketing messages. Every company needs to differentiate itself from its competitors and gain greater market share. Every company also needs to be distinctive. Examples where brand identity experts are needed:

• New Company / New Product
• Name Change
• Revitalize a Brand
• Revitalize a Brand Identity
• Create an Integrated / Consistent System
• When Companies Merge

Why Invest In Brand Identity?

The best identity programs embody and advance the company’s brand by supporting itself in every touchpoint of the brand and becomes intrinsic to a company’s culture – a constant reminder of its core values and its heritage. The mark is the pinnacle of a branding pyramid; recognition fuels comfort and loyalty and sets the stage for a sale. A stellar identity demonstrates rather than declares a unique point of view, from the interface of a website to the design of a product to the retail sales experience. It is important to invest in a brand identity because the only way to differentiate your products or services in a brand soaked marketplace is to create a unique, dynamic, and relevant brand identity and positioning iniatatives.

A Necessary Commitment.

A good identity does not guarantee success. An effective brand identity is tied inextricably to management’s desire to nurture it. A new brand identity program signifies the beginning of an investment of time and capital, not the end. Perhaps the most important characteristic of a sustainable identity is taking responsibility for actively managing the asset. A common mistake is assuming that once a company has a new brand identity, the hardest work has been accomplished. In reality the whole process is just beginning, and the hard work is ahead. At FiveSeven Studios, we are committed to a comprehensive brand development process, and we are looking for clients who are just as committed and motivated to growing their brands as we are.

Branding Imperatives.

• Acknowledge that we live in a branded world.
• Seize every opportunity to position your company in your customers minds
• Communicate a strong brand idea over and over again.
• Understand the customers. Build on their perceptions, preferences, dreams, values, and lifestyles
• Identify all touchpoints / Identity key touchpoints
• Use brand identity to create sensory magnets to attract and retain customers

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