Say my name – Ep 2:
We discussed about what constitutes a brand and various definitions in our last week’s Say my name. Read it HERE.
Since we have established what a brand in business is all about, lets dive into the steps to create a brand that speaks for itself.
1. Make a list of the BRAND VALUE: Brand value includes the founder’s values, the operational team’s values, the environmental values and the consumer values. These are basically what the company is and what the company is aiming to be with respect to the target audience.
2. Derive the Brand essence: Find the core values from the list of brand values These core values will be the foundation on which brand would be built further. Eg: Nike – Authentic Athletic performance
3. Brand positioning: With the brand essence firmed up, we can start building the brand. Try to define your brand as
a. An organisation – Ethics, values, Culture, Method of operating
b. A product – Features, design
c. A competitor- How are we going to take on the competition?
d. A logo – First visual representation of the company.
e. Communication – Physical spaces, tone of communication, etc
f. Person – Who would be your brand as a personality? This would give a more real-world view of the abstract concept of the brand.
Extreme care should be taken to ensure that the brand positioning is well aligned with the brand essence
These steps are the basics of building the brand and in its way forward. The visual elements are just a part of it and the brand image should be maintained in every aspect of the company. Using the brand positioning and the essence as a reference we can build processes and visual collateral of the brand to sound consistent throughout.
Remember, in this saturating market, people don’t buy products, they buy brands.
Stay tuned , next week we’ll get into the visual aspect of the branding process.