Amp Your Brand!

It’s a question that makes creatives cringe: “So, what’s the difference between a logo and a brand?”

Actually, it’s a great question and we’re glad you asked.

A logo is a graphic mark; a concrete object — a thing. It communicates your company name with type or a graphic element. A brand on the other hand isn’t a “thing.” A brand, it’s been said is “what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

Your brand is a promise you’ve made that your client believes in. It lives in their hearts and minds long after your logo has left the building. It’s your personality, your values and what people can predict — and expect — about you and from you. It is the sum total of your customer’s experiences and perceptions.

Too, a brand is not the sum of your logo, tag line or overall campaign — these are simply “expressions” of a brand. For instance, the Nike “swish” is the company’s logo. The Nike brand is the message of power, competition, excellence, victory and hard work. Disney has a logo typeface known the world over but it’s brand is making dreams come true. Additionally, Apple has a logo that would make an alien stop and clap but Apple’s brand is “thinking differently” and it is expressed in everything from their written ads, their package design, their commercials, their CEO and their employees.

Our office has a melting pot of competing brand lovers — some might even be borderline brand stalkers. We love Starbucks. We love Apple. We love Disney. We love Target. We love IKEA. We don’t purchase based on logos, rather, we purchase based on our trust and love of a brand that repeatedly gives us what they’ve promised.

So as hard as you work at building your business, it serves you well to craft, guide and manage your brand carefully. Now more than ever, it’s branding that sets companies apart and wins loyal customers — logos alone can’t lay claim to that kind of fame.

AMP YOUR BRAND: Here are just a few of the many questions we ask clients who come to us for brand development.

1. What are the core values of your company?

2. Does your name, copy and tagline reflect your core values?

3. If your company were a person, what would its character be like? What qualities stand out? Is your company creative, inspiring, bold, lively, accessible or sophisticated? Is it serious, quirky, innovative or reliable?

4. Why do customers choose your business? What sets you apart? Not what you think sets you apart but what actually sets you apart. (Ask them!)

5. What are the feelings your most satisfied customers get when they work with you? (Fun, friendly, serious, somber, exciting, whimsical, brainy, empowering).

6. What values are most important to your core customers?

7. Does you’re the tone of your web, ad, collateral copy match your brand personality and promise?

8. What is one thing that sets you apart from your competition? How are you telling that story?

This is a very abbreviated skip across a very deep pond called Branding but it will at least give you something to cook on as you dive deeper into who you are as a company and why the world should care. It’s also a very slight nod to the topic of logos, both of which will get more real estate in future blogs.

© 2009 Birdsong Creative, Inc.

admin Branding brand enthusiast, brand lovers, logo vs. brand, nike, what's a brand?

Brand Strategist Scott Talgo once said that “a brand that captures your mind gains behavior. A brand that captures your heart gains commitment.” Which begs the question: While you may be able to catch ‘em, can you keep ‘em?

A few years ago while doing business in Los Angeles we had a client that no matter how many marketing dollars they threw at their brand or how many new additions they made to their product line, their company could not break through a certain level of profitability. They came to us for help.

At the onset, we were thrilled to be doing business with such a positive group of people and such a positive product line. They had a line of calendars, artwork, office accessories and rec wear that that carried very positive, life-affirming messages on them. The company’s visual look was tight, the products well thought through and the price point right on. We looked at their messaging, which was sound. We had them fill out several in-depth branding analysis about who they were and what their motivations were; about their ideal client and where they wanted to take their brand. Everything “looked” healthy.

We couldn’t figure out the problem until the third and fourth meeting when we met the client afterhours to discuss their upcoming marketing plan. At that time, the “true colors” of the client began to surface. It became clear that the three owners of the company were not aligned with the values of their brand . . . nor with one another. While their brand espoused health, inspiration and hope, in person, the owners of the company had little in common with their product.

They talked about their customers in derogatory terms; they were loose and fast with their speech and filled the conversation with offensive references and innuendos that eventually ended our business relationship. Not surprisingly, that once promising company closed its doors soon after.

A new logo, tagline, campaign or marketing plan will never cure a brand that is not authentic at its core.

At the heart, the owners were not living the brand, which meant that they could land initial sales with clients based on the “appearance” of their product but failed to get the reorders you might expect as distributors truly got to know them. Simply put, a brand is your promise to the public. Break that promise enough times and you’ve got yourself a brand attempt that will sputter and take a dive.

A great example of living your brand is the company Life is Good. The owners Bert and John Jacobs pursue recreation, health and positive experiences at every turn. Their brand emanates humor, humility and good vibes — as do they. Their product springs from an authentic well. Hence, their longevity, success and band of faithful fans.

Now, more than ever, it’s imperative to live your brand. Technology has ushered us into an age of transparency and authenticity. Like it or not, you — and your brand — are in the spotlight. It’s the unspoken oath you signed when you hung your shingle and extended your promise to the public.

AMP YOUR BRAND: Know who you are and why you do what you do. Know the values at the core of your brand. Hire people who embody your brand. Connect with companies who value the components of your brand. Being authentic will build brand value, trust and integrity as you enter the arena to compete.

© 2009, Birdsong Creative.

admin Branding authenticity in business, integrity, Life is Good, live your brand