Wouldn’t you like a brandburger with cheese?
Cheeseburger.. or brandburger?
The cheeseburger is a staple in fast food restaurants all over the world today, and for good reason. We all know the joy of biting into a juicy, savoury patty combined with oozy melted cheese, cut with a tangy sauce and topped with pickles (if you hate pickles, you’re weird), all brought together in the warm embrace of a nicely toasted bun. It’s comfort food at its best.
To celebrate National Cheeseburger Day, we’ve prepared an easy-to-digest lesson on the aspects of branding. We made it kinda cheesy in a damn good way, just like how the best burgers are. So please, enjoy!
Bun: Image
We know what you’re thinking — the bun is probably the most bland, boring part of it all. How could it be the brand image?
Your brand image is immediately recognisable; it’s what people think of you. Try to imagine Burger King’s logo without the bun. It just doesn’t work. When you see a specific type of bun sandwiching a patty, you think burger. With any other kind of bread, it’s a sandwich. Still tasty, but just not the same.
Sauce: Personality
Every brand has its own unique personality. That’s your sauce right there. Your brand’s personality could be like ketchup or mayonnaise: familiar and comforting, like Ya Kun Kaya Toast. Or it could add a zesty kick; think IKEA, with its penchant for witty content inspired by local news and culture.
Your brand personality comes through in all your customer-facing communications, like advertising, marketing, and social media. Just like a great sauce on your burger, it imbues your brand with a dose of flavour and character. Much better than just a boring, soulless corporation.
Toppings: Values
Gone are the days when all you could expect on your burger was just limp iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and raw onions. Today’s burger toppings are as fancy as they are flavourful, from the mushrooms on Carls Jr’s Portobello Mushroom Burger, to the grilled pineapple and purple cabbage on the Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Burger from McDonald’s. These tasty additions add depth, nutrition, and sometimes a little crunch to your meal.
In the same way, values are at the core of every business, despite not always being overtly stated. Take a closer look at everything from your neighbourhood mamak shop to giants like Dove or The Body Shop, and you’ll see a brand’s values rippling through its people, processes, and every aspect of the business. You wouldn’t survive on meat and bread alone, and a business wouldn’t survive without holding fast to its values.
Cheese: Identity
Your brand identity isn’t how you’re perceived. It’s how you WANT to be perceived. You want to elevate your humble hamburger? Add a slice of cheese. Now it’s a cheeseburger! It’s got a new name, and it’s wayyy sexier — all with the addition of just one ingredient. Now that’s good branding!
Meat: Positioning
Your brand positioning is defined by your target audience. In the same way, the meat you use is defined by whom you’d like to market your burger to. If you’re going to be selling it to the general public, you can’t go wrong with your standard ground beef patty. Add a chicken option for variety. If you’re going the Halal route to include Muslims, you might want to nix pork from your menu. And who says the meat has to be actual meat? There are tonnes of meatless options nowadays such as the Impossible™ and Beyond Meat burgers.
Conclusion
Like a good brand, the cheeseburger has stayed true to its roots over the years, while evolving in new and exciting ways. Whether you’re an experienced connoisseur or a newbie building something from scratch, it’s good to remember that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. As long as you’ve prepared them well, even the simplest ingredients will make a delicious, satisfying end product.
Liked this post? Check out our site at www.theuniversefantastic.co for even more flavourful creative work.
