Brand Building Part Two: Identify Yourself!

From Handprints To Brandprints

For thousands of years, branding of one kind or another has been part of the human story. From cave walls to Minecraft, it’s how we proclaim our presence, what we do, what we value. It’s how we proclaim our uniqueness, saying “It’s ME! Here I am!”

Reinforce your brand personality by presenting your values, methods, criteria, and experience in the form of your brand identity. Support these attributes and claims with references and reviews. Make it simple to ask questions or get more information. By staying in voice and on story you can earn trust. It’s the same for pizzerias and politicians.

Make Your Mark: Symbol+Words=Brand Identity

Brand identity is larger than a logo, more than mere words. Any enterprise from individuals to the largest corporations can elevate awareness via a striking visual/verbal brand identity. What powerful identities share in common are the synergies derived from meaningful words plus symbols. They can be logos, which run the gamut from abstract to illustrative. Wordmarks that combine name and image. Taglines that intrigue and resonate. Color schemes that arouse emotional response. (Maybe become part of the global language, as in…Googling!)

Use Your Own Words: Own The Words You Use

Carve out your niche in a noisy marketplace with a narrative YOU control. Tell your audience a story in a voice that clearly and consistently communicates how your products or services - and therefore you - are different, and serve the needs of your audience.

Create and promote “name-onics” you can own if you use them consistently, (Think “glamping”, “dancercise”, or “staycation”). Claim turf that no competitor has used - or has dared to use - such as FedEx’s “When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Get There Overnight.”

Worth Its Weight In Gold

A 24 carat brand identity tells a carefully refined story. It should be the purest form of your brand personality that can be recognized anywhere as you, and only you. Think bumper stickers. (This is how great brands have created enduring personalities, going viral decades before the internet existed.)

Expand Your Brand. Amplify Your Identity.

Iconic brand identities have embedded themselves in the public mind for decades. Think Nike (Swoosh+Just Do It). Apple (Bitten Apple+Think Different). DeBeers (A Diamond Is Forever), BMW (The Ultimate Driving Machine). Mastercard crafted a mantra counterintuitively celebrating experiences over possessions as “Priceless”: "There are some things money can't buy; for everything else, there's Mastercard". The list goes on. McDonald’s approach has evolved to build on their global brand recognition by simply adding “Mc…”, (sometimes using the yellow Golden Arches for the “M”) to products, events, and cause related activities, such as “McDelivery”.

Cause related brands draw attention to pressing needs facing society. Their mandate is to create awareness and support by evoking understanding and empathy. Their toolbox includes storytelling that brings issues home, in a sensitive, authentic voice, bolstered by unforgettable images and vivid symbols.

Effective cause-related identities include The American Heart Association which brands itself with a living heart and beacon of light, the United Way which visualizes a nurturing hand cradling humanity in search of a brighter day, and the New York Public Library which literally lionizes the importance of free and unfettered access to knowledge.These are consistently presented across all touchpoints to achieve positive outcomes.

Many noteworthy brands have become embedded in the cultural mind. They have succeeded to the point that they only need to provide the barest reminder to cause a visceral response. Federal Express began with a brash, unique promise, “When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight.” Today, the simple wordmark “FedEx”, fills in the blank in people’s minds. Mastercard just uses two overlapping red and yellow circles, yet still leans heavily on the often unspoken concept of “Priceless”. Each achieved cultural status through great design, creativity, consistent messaging, and keeping their promises. Then there’s that Lion.

These examples may seem beyond the reach of small businesses. Yet any business can brand itself for greater success. Whatever success looks like to you, creating a strong brand identity can help make it happen.

Well thought out brand identities are powerful, portable triggers. A great identity is a recognizable, actionable stimulant that can become synonymous with a name, service, product, or cause. (Case in point, your Chamber’s logo, and color scheme, have been integrated into this Marketing Minute masthead, as it has been for many other purposes.)

An engaging brand identity is like tying a string around the finger of everyone it reaches, helping them remember what it stands for (“Oh yeah, I know them…”). You can create a memorable, marketable brand identity that is, to borrow from Mastercard, priceless.

Look in the mirror. Place yourself in your customer’s shoes. Put on your thinking cap. Dare to be creative. Be true to your brand and reap the rewards.