Brand: A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s goods or services as distinct from those of other sellers. A brand can also represent the values, personality, and image of a company or an individual. A brand can influence the perceptions and behaviors of customers, employees, investors, and competitors. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising. But we believe the brand is more than that. More than a logo, a brand lives and evolves in the minds and hearts of potential clients. It’s a fostered set of emotions and ideas consumers associate with your company. With the infinite number of choices offered to consumers these days, many companies are looking for unique ways to connect emotionally with consumers. A brand can be created through various strategies, such as advertising, packaging, logos, slogans, endorsements, or word-of-mouth.
Apple: Apple is a technology company that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, software, and online services. Apple is known for its innovation, design, quality, and customer loyalty. Apple has a strong brand identity that reflects its core values of creativity, simplicity, and excellence. Apple’s slogan is “Think Different”. Apple is the most valuable brand in the world, with a brand value of $263.4 billion in 2020.
Disney: Disney is a media and entertainment company that produces and distributes films, television shows, theme parks, merchandise, and online content. Disney is known for its storytelling, imagination, magic, and family-friendly appeal. Disney has a diverse brand portfolio that includes Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Disney’s slogan is “The Happiest Place on Earth”. Disney is the eighth most valuable brand in the world, with a brand value of $61.3 billion in 2020.
Nike: Nike is a sports apparel and footwear company that designs, manufactures, and markets products for various sports and fitness activities. Nike is known for its innovation, performance, quality, and inspiration. Nike has a powerful brand identity that conveys its mission of bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. Nike’s slogan is “Just Do It”. Nike is the 18th most valuable brand in the world, with a brand value of $34.8 billion in 2020.
When developing a brand, we look to create a strong brand that stands out in the marketplace and positions the company as an irreplaceable life-long partner to their clients. Remember that consumers love and trust brands; they believe in the inherent superiority of the experience so much, that even in a negative economy 60% are often or always willing to pay more for it. Creating an identity that resonates with your clients reinforces the emotional relationship that is at the heart of a truly successful brand. When marketing decisions are made for a particular brand, it’s important to examine the factors associated and consistently craft messaging that supports and enhances this emotional relationship.
In addition to this external benefit, building a strong brand offers internal benefits. It’s no secret that it’s easier to sell a brand that you believe in yourself. This is why successful organizations spend time and effort “selling” their brand internally. This notion supports the marketing department’s ongoing effort for consistency in presentation and contributes to the overall strength of the brand.
Your brand, therefore, becomes the foundation for all your marketing pieces. Every aspect, from a website to corporate identity to video production and photography, is defined by your brand. With each touchpoint being an opportunity to increase brand awareness and improve customer loyalty, marketing departments today know and appreciate the importance of building a strong brand.
In addition to this external benefit, building a strong brand offers internal benefits. It’s no secret that it’s easier to sell a brand that you believe in yourself. This is why successful organizations spend time and effort “selling” their brand internally. This notion supports the marketing department’s ongoing effort for consistency in presentation and contributes to the overall strength of the brand.
Your brand, therefore, becomes the foundation for all your marketing pieces. Every aspect, from a website to corporate identity to video production and photography, is defined by your brand. With each touchpoint being an opportunity to increase brand awareness and improve customer loyalty, marketing departments today know and appreciate the importance of building a strong brand.
Misunderstanding branding: Branding is more than just marketing or advertising. It is the process of creating a unique identity and image for your business that reflects your values, personality, and purpose. You should understand the difference between how people perceive your brand and how you promote it.
Forgetting to establish business values: Your brand should be based on your business values, which describe the mission and vision of your business. If you don’t have clear values, your brand will lack direction and meaning. You should communicate your values to your audience and show how you solve their problems.
Not maintaining brand consistency: Your brand should be consistent across all channels and platforms, from your logo to your color scheme, fonts, voice, and messaging. If you have a mismatched or confusing brand identity, you will lose trust and credibility with your audience. You should follow your brand guidelines and ensure that every touchpoint with your audience is aligned with your brand.
Following trends: Trends can be useful to keep your brand relevant and fresh, but they should not be the basis of your brand identity. Trends come and go, and if you rely too much on them, your brand will lose its originality and longevity. You should create a timeless brand that can adapt to changing preferences and needs.
Mimicking competitors: Copying your competitors’ branding strategies can make your brand seem less unique and distinctive. It can also confuse your audience and reduce the impact of your brand. You should research your competitors and find out what makes them successful, but you should also create your own brand identity that showcases your competitive advantage.
How to Choose a Great Brand Name
If you need to choose a great brand name for your product, service, or business, start by considering the importance of the name in your branding efforts. Your name is an extension of your brand, and it can reinforce the value you provide or distance you from it. When you’re developing a name for a business, a product, or a service, you have a number of options:
Use the founder or inventor’s name (Hewlett-Packard)
Describe what you do (Southwest Airlines)
Describe an experience or image (Sprint)
Take a word out of context (Apple)
Make up a word (Google)
This example shows that you have one chance to make a first impression. Many of your potential customers might know virtually nothing about your company, product, or service, and a great name can make a great first impression and open doors. A poor name can close them. Also think about your internet marketing goals, since you’ll likely need a URL. There are over 860 million domain names registered worldwide, and some experts believe that over 99.9% of the dictionary is registered as a domain name.
If you need to choose a great brand name for your product, service, or business, start by considering the importance of the name in your branding efforts. Your name is an extension of your brand, and it can reinforce the value you provide or distance you from it. When you’re developing a name for a business, a product, or a service, you have a number of options:
Use the founder or inventor’s name (Hewlett-Packard)
Describe what you do (Southwest Airlines)
Describe an experience or image (Sprint)
Take a word out of context (Apple)
Make up a word (Google)
This example shows that you have one chance to make a first impression. Many of your potential customers might know virtually nothing about your company, product, or service, and a great name can make a great first impression and open doors. A poor name can close them. Also think about your internet marketing goals, since you’ll likely need a URL. There are over 860 million domain names registered worldwide, and some experts believe that over 99.9% of the dictionary is registered as a domain name.
Defining your brand is like a journey of business self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming, and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the questions below:
What is your company's mission?
What are the benefits and features of your products or services?
What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?
What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?
What is your company's mission?
What are the benefits and features of your products or services?
What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?
What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?
Brand Equity: Brand equity is the value and strength of a brand in the market. It is based on the positive or negative associations, awareness, loyalty, and preferences that customers have towards a brand. Brand equity can affect the profitability and sustainability of a business, as well as its competitive advantage. Brand equity can be measured by various methods, such as customer surveys, market share analysis, financial valuation, or social media metrics.
Brand Identity: Brand identity is the visual and verbal expression of a brand. It includes the elements that convey the essence, purpose, and personality of a brand to the target audience. Brand identity can consist of logos, colors, fonts, shapes, symbols, sounds, slogans, taglines, stories, or values. Brand identity can help to create a consistent and distinctive image of a brand across different channels and platforms.
Brand Loyalty: Brand loyalty is the degree of attachment and commitment that customers have towards a brand. It is reflected by the frequency of purchase, preference, satisfaction, trust, and advocacy that customers show for a brand. Brand loyalty can benefit a business by reducing marketing costs, increasing sales volume and revenue, enhancing customer retention and referrals, and creating a competitive edge. Brand loyalty can be fostered by providing quality products or services, delivering value and satisfaction, building relationships and trust, offering rewards and incentives, or creating emotional connections.
Branding Improves Recognition and Creates Trust
One of the major components of your brand is your logo. Think of how we instantly recognize the golden arches of Mcdonalds' or the simple, but powerful eagle of the USPS. As the “face” of a company, logo design is critical because that simple graphic will be on every piece of correspondence and advertising. A professional logo design is simple enough to be memorable but powerful enough to give the desired impression of your company. A professional appearance builds credibility and trust. People are more likely to purchase from a business that appears polished and legitimate. Emotional reactions are hardwired into our brains, and those reactions are very real influencers.
One of the major components of your brand is your logo. Think of how we instantly recognize the golden arches of Mcdonalds' or the simple, but powerful eagle of the USPS. As the “face” of a company, logo design is critical because that simple graphic will be on every piece of correspondence and advertising. A professional logo design is simple enough to be memorable but powerful enough to give the desired impression of your company. A professional appearance builds credibility and trust. People are more likely to purchase from a business that appears polished and legitimate. Emotional reactions are hardwired into our brains, and those reactions are very real influencers.
Craft a compelling brand story: Your brand story should explain who you are, what you do, and why you do it. It should be unique, relatable, and memorable. It should also convey your mission, vision, and values. Your brand story can help you connect with your customers on an emotional level and inspire them to take action.
Create a coherent visual identity: Your visual identity includes the elements that convey your brand’s look and feel, such as logos, colors, fonts, shapes, symbols, images, and videos. Your visual identity should be consistent across all channels and platforms, and reflect your brand’s personality and tone. You can use tools like Canva or Crowdspring to create or improve your visual identity.
Develop a consistent tone of voice: Your tone of voice is the way you communicate your brand’s message and values through words. It includes the vocabulary, grammar, style, and tone that you use in your content. Your tone of voice should be consistent with your brand’s personality and goals, and appeal to your target audience. You can use tools like Hemingway or Grammarly to improve your writing skills.
Build an online presence: Your online presence is the way you showcase your brand identity on the internet. It includes your website, social media accounts, blog, email newsletter, and online reviews. Your online presence should be engaging, informative, and relevant to your audience. You can use tools like WordPress or Squarespace to create or update your website.
Final Thoughts
Jawbone, Tesla, and IKEA share a common overarching goal in their naming: to help customers understand their products. However, how they do it is distinct, and most importantly authentic to who they are. Jawbone’s naming is sleek and minimalistic, with a splash of fun. Tesla’s naming is efficient and hard-working. And IKEA’s naming is unwaveringly grounded in the company’s roots.
