Behind the Logo: Branding 101
On Monday June 30’th I attended the first of eight Innovation Protocol Behind the Logo Seminar Series presented by Sasha Strauss entitled Branding 101. Each event has a unique focus, some of the topics will include Branding Technology, Branding in Social Media, Branding Green and even Branding You. The event is presented as a seminar/networking event. When I first heard that the presentation itself will be 2 hours long I thought might drag on. Little did I know that every minute contained great value and by its end everyone in the audience was left wanting more. In this post I am going to summarize the main points of Branding 101 both from my notes as well as from a very well put together brochure/information packet from Innovation Protocol.
Sasha mentioned that most companies’ branding department is really just a design team. People associate Branding with your logo design. He gets numerous calls from clients asking him to create a nice logo and tag line. His first question is usually “Well what do you want the customers to know about you? What do you stand for?” This usually leads to an empty silence on the other line with a “hmmm..I haven’t thought of that.”
Innovation Protocol’s philosophy on brand strategy is summed up in the following sentence.
Don’t communicate unless you know exactly who you are and why you matter.
Sounds simple right? So why is it overlooked so often…
As a consultant myself I could relate to Sasha’s next dilemna. Often time consultants explain what their problem is and are looking for the *Magical Solution*. “Hey lets go out to a coffee, discuss and maybe you can provide me with a magical solution”. However as we all know, there is no such thing as a magical solution. There is a rigorous step by step process that we have to get through often leading to even more questions. This reminds of a great quote by Jim Colllins in his Book From Good to Great
Now I am going to discuss the elements that Innovation Protocol uses in laying out their brand strategy.
Discovery, Brand Platform, Brand Naming, Brand Architecture, Visual Expression, Brand execution, Brand Alignment and Brand Extension
Discovery: The very first step is a complete immersion in everything about the brand. This includes an external analysis of the competition and the public’s current perception of the brand as well as an internal analysis conducting interviews with employees (are they aware of the company’s brand? How do they feel working there, What do they feel the company stands for and do they as employees align with this view?).
Discovery
Brand Platform: What is the brand’s position (platform). What makes it authentic and unique within the market place? Is it an innovator? An authority? A Staple? The platform also includes the mission and vision statements to clearly identify and articulate the brand’s core value and characteristics. The idea here is to identify and maintain a strong and consistent branded story at every touch-point.
Who you are. Why you Matter. What makes you different.
Brand Platform
Brand Naming: How the brand and its offering will be identified then condensed and encapsulated into just a word or two. Sasha stresses the need to test your ideas…internationally, translated, trademarked, and ease of pronounciation. Is this name sustainable with your target market?
Brand Naming
Brand Architecture: The proper organizational framework of a brand’s portfolio will distinguish and clarify how all the products and services within the company interact thereby giving consumers an easy way to find, use and differentiate a brand’s offerings. This becomes an important factor once there is business growth and addition or subtraction of the products and services will need to be integrated. The goal is to enables customers to easily recognize and differentiate a company’s offerings.
Brand Architecture
Visual Expression: We are constantly bombarded with images both offline and on. How can your visual expression differentiate and reinforce your identity? Fine tuning the use of fonts, colors, imagery, logo to build a system that helps consumers recall and retain a relationship with a brand.
Visual Expression
Brand Execution: Synchronicity of your brand in your communication. Brochures, business cards, presentation, etc used to connect a brand to its customer must maintain its synchronicity to the brand strategy, thereby strengthening the message and protecting its position from competitors.
Brand Execution
Brand Alignment: Synchronizing the message internally. Includes the training and implementation programs to inform the brand’s story within the company. Strengthens employee, stakeholder and partner support.
Brand Alignment
Brand Extension: Extending the brand into new markets through research on consumer trends/desires and market viability. The process to create new revenue streams while reinforcing the brand strength at each touch-point.
Brand Extension
For more great insight into what takes a company from good to great read the pearls of wisdom found in Jim Collins Business Classic.
Thank you Innovation Protocol for allowing us to share this insight with our readers. For more info, please email info@innovationprotocol.com
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About this Blog
My name is Daniel Endrei. I run a Brand strategy firm called the Oomph! company. My passion lies in translating a brand into a conversation piece. With the power of word of mouth marketing and social media, brands have a unique opportunity to engage their customers and partake in the community. This blog is where I share with you my insights into the ever developing world of branding and online communities.
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LinkedIn: daniel[at]demandisup[dot]c o m
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