Creating a great brand is not an easy task. A brand is more than a logo or a hashtag it is who your organisation is and what it stands for.
When you have a business idea and it is time to bring it to life, people generally think quick I need a logo or a website or a business card. However, these are the tactics or external expressions of the brand, they are not the foundations. Businesses that go straight to these things and haven’t thought about their brand’s values, personality or promise end up building a superficial brand that consumers see through. Global communications agency, Havas Group did a study in 2019 and found that ‘people wouldn’t care if 77% of brands disappeared.’ That is a devastating statistic. Imagine pouring time and $ into your brand and no one would case if it disappeared. To build an attractive and strong brand it must have clarity on the key foundations. It doesn’t take that long either to do. Focusing on the brand logo or what’s visible may seem like a great idea but without the foundations the business is at risk of being one ogf the 77%.
I like to use the analogy of a cafe. When you see a cafe you look at the exterior first and can quickly work out if they are serious about their coffee or not because there is an aesthetic and vibe that good cafes have. The discerning consumers know this and can tell. If the coffee is burnt or not a good blend, the customer will be bitterly disappointed and most probably wont go back. There are too many good choices these days and so it doesn’t matter how good the atmosphere or the decor was. This is an example of brand window washing... you can have all the exterior looking good but if the service or product is not right or thought through the whole experience goes down
Consumers today love brands that have purpose and that are meaningful - brands that are thought through. Brands like this have a strategy behind them. They are planned and have thought through their messaging before launch day.
There are 8 powerful secrets to creating a brand do our quiz or download our checklist to find out what these are. If these elements aren’t defined or clear new business owners can waste hours and lots of $$$ not only of theirs but also suppliers including designers. When you first engage a designer they will request a brief from you. This can be written or verbal. Either way how clear you are in that briefing determines the quality of the result or the number of rounds of designs to get to the expectations you have.
When we spoke to Jessica Longmore, Creative Director of LBD STUDIOS about her experience of being briefed she said "not having a great creative brief can waste time and money, and can create huge amount of frustration. Once everyone is on the same page, that’s when I’ve seen the creative magic really happen."
That sums it up right there. You can stifle the magic in your new brand by not having a clear strategy to brief your designer on. Make sure you get clarity so that you can do it right from the start.
Check out some of the fabulous strategy led brands we have been working on with LBD STUDIOS. We have built a lot of purposeful brands, which has made me even more passionate about making brand strategy more known and accessible for entrepreneurs and start ups as I’ve witnessed and seen the huge difference it makes. Watch this space for a new initiative coming soon.
With Energy. And Smiles!
Karin
Blog written by | Karin Forster, Brand and Marketing Consultant, AMAMI CPM.