Brand Truths

When Mercedes wanted an appropriate visual to explain its “Magic Body Control” active suspension system, the brand turned to—what else?—chickens.

Brands are like people. Just as we put thought (or not) into what we look like (what we wear, our hairstyle, shoes, etc.), the words we use, with whom we befriend or hangout, where we show up (and decide not to), and what we stand for bigger than ourselves, so too does a strong brand.

Brands are not just logos. Brands are more dimensional.

Successful brands have intentional thought put into all the aspects that make up a persona with the goal of bringing a company and its business plan to life in meaningful ways.

Brand strategy bridges where a company is today and where it is heading tomorrow (…and communications/PR makes a brand have meaningful touch points, and brings people important to the business along so it’s natural evolution and journey together).

Successful brands have a unified marketing/communications) team backing them.

If done right, their job is to find ways to make sure every employee is knowledgeable and proactive at participating to ensure consistency in bringing the brand to life. (Examples: every email signature looks the same, receptionist’s way of answering the phone matches the culture, there are main messages to convey in every communications outside the company is consistent, colors used with the logo are the same, etc.)

Consistency and repetition (even to the point of boredom internally) means you are on the right path. 

The goal is over time there is proven link between what is claimed and what is done (daily).

Through consistency, trust is built and loyalty takes hold.

Often, however, companies slap a logo on something and call it a day. OR, the marketing team becomes a policing task force requiring everything to come through their department before it can see the light of day.

In both cases, a brand will wilt on the vine.