When cattlemen first started branding cattle, they chose a mark that was uniquely theirs and easy to recognize – hence how the idea of the logo made it to modern-day marketing. But the more important thing to know about those very first cattle brands was that they were deeply personal to the ranches they represented. And that’s a lesson that applies to modern-day branding as well. Your company’s brand isn’t just a logo – it’s everything you stand for – every interaction you have internally and with your customers. It’s every piece of marketing material. It’s your internal training program. It’s the slogan on the company field day t-shirt.
Brands Begin with People.
Think of the most iconic brands in the world – Nike, Coca-Cola, Disney. Have you ever wondered how they’ve built such incredibly strong brands? Sure, they’ve spent a lot of money on advertising, media, and design to make sure they’re seen and recognized, but nearly everyone can agree there’s more to those brands than just their presence. People identify with these brands. Often, they’re fiercely loyal and devoted to those brands. Rest assured, it’s not by accident. The world’s strongest brands live their brand essence every day, every moment, and with every customer and client interaction – not because they have to – but because they can’t imagine doing business any other way.
And that’s the secret… Brands don’t direct how businesses operate. It’s the way businesses act that define who they are as brands. Nike didn’t just decide one day they wanted to stand for victory – they were already doing it through gear and apparel that was making a difference in the way athletes perform. Disney didn’t wish to be associated with magic – they were making magic happen every second a person walked through their parks, sat down at one of their movies, or played with one of their toys.
So How Should You Build Your Brand?
Begin by asking yourself what you’re already doing well. Then ask yourself how much benefit there might be in doing that one thing even better. What does your internal team believe in? What inspires them? What do your most loyal customers say about you? These are more integral to your brand than you might think. Why? Because trust matters when it comes to brand loyalty. If Coca-Cola positioned it’s brand as a health beverage – do you think it’d help sales, or hurt them? Even if someone knew nothing about the brand before, results can’t be denied. So if you can’t fulfill your brand’s promise you’re not doing yourself or your business any favors. Sure, you may get a modest initial lift from a new brand image – but when people feel duped, they’re not going to come back to the brand a second or third time.
Kompani Group Creates Compelling Brands
When we begin the branding (or re-branding) process we start by going deep. We’ll look inside your business and reveal things you may not have even known about yourself. It’s an objective third-party perspective on what your company is and what your company could be. We ask the questions that reveal all the answers you never knew you had… the result is a Brandmap.
Think about that for a minute – an actual “map” of your brand, just as though it was a technical schematic. You won’t just know “what” you offer potential customers, but also the all-important “how” and “why” consumers should choose you over a competitor. It’s quite literally operating instructions for how to build your brand, and it considers your industry, your competitive landscape, your product/service, and every way you communicate or interact with the world.
This approach has taken brand-new brands like Blooms by Heinau from start-up obscurity to a recognized brand that was recently featured on The Today Show. We’ve also helped an established clean energy provider refocus their brand on their key market – Solar. We not only renamed the company to DCE Solar, but also helped realign all their brand assets, logos, imagery, tagline, and more.
You can see some of our other results with Naming, Logo, and Identity on our website, our learn about our unique approach by accessing our brochure, today.