As a branding agency in Manchester we are constantly surrounded and exposed to the world’s leading brands. It is hard to exist in today’s society without a company trying to strike an emotional thought provoking connection through their iconic branding. But are you relating to the design of the brand or what that brand represents? A strong brand should be both.
Strong branding should be more than just a memorable logo, it has to strike a chord with potential customers, inspire and motivate employees and increase the value of a company as a whole. As a creative agency our branding goal is to make a company stand out, be recognisable and unique within increasingly competitive markets. We don’t just help existing brands large and small, we work closely with start up companies to create new and exciting brands.
Branding is a complex blend of different attributes. All aspects of the marketing mix should be considered and researched prior to the design stage to identify what makes a business unique and appealing to customers. This unique selling point should then be the foundation of your brand and determine the core brand values for the future.
Zurich, a leading insurance provider has the following brand values;
| We demonstrate total customer dedication | Our starting point is the needs and expectations of our customers |
| We’re pioneers | We innovate continuously and explore new options with creativity |
| We excel in all we do | We aim for the highest quality, particularly in activities with the greatest value potential |
| We encourage everyone to contribute | Every employee counts |
| We act with integrity | We test every proposed action to see whether it is proper and reflects standards we can be proud of |
Once this had been determined the identity of the brand can be designed, developed and built. This should include all elements of the business and work across all communication channels to create consistency and clarity. It can include a logo, colour scheme, slogans and all marketing materials on and offline.
A good brand will stand the test of time. Coca Cola has used the same branding for 127 years and has remained very much the same. Pepsi which is a newer brand than Coca Cola has changed around eleven times since its creation in 1898. There is an argument that some brands need to change and evolve over time however ideally this should be done by creating concepts around the brand and not the actual brand itself. It is extremely expensive to re-brand a company such as Pepsi, for instance the Pepsi logo was revamped by Arnell Group in New Y for $1 million, much to the criticism of both the press and the consumers.
The Google brand on the other hand has a very simple typographical logo which they choose to manipulate its design on a daily basis to relate to world issues, historical events or simply to brighten up one’s day. This is a very clever way to create continued intrigued and connectivity with the brand. Google is a world leader in innovation so one would expect such creativeness.
So being a strong brand is vital in the marketplace and the companies which invest time, effort and money into their brand generally rise to the top becoming market leaders. The companies which then have the innovative skills and creative spark to keep their brand exciting are the ones with longevity. As discussed, there are many elements to take into consideration when developing a brand, it is not just creating a single well designed logo. To create a strong brand all these elements need to be complete.
We work closely with clients to see what is missing within their brand. It is our job as a creative branding agency to come up with unique ideas, concepts and results driven strategies to put that brand well and truly back on the map. By doing so, brands can increase their trust and recognition within the marketplace and also increase their ability to demand the premium that they desire.
