Why Your Brand Matters, and Needs to Be Better.
Brands impact culture. They influence the world. That’s why I get passionate about branding.
Today, when it comes to marketing and consumer behavior, everyone judges your book by its cover.
It’s true. Your business could be an industry leader with unrivaled customer service and cutting-edge solutions. But if your brand lacks personality, design, and relevance, prospective customers won’t pay attention.
A look at branding, featuring a classical musical character.
What is a brand? It’s a personality.
Imagine yourself at a black tie affair, wining and dining and networking. A guy named Danny strikes up a conversation with you.
What do you notice first? His appearance. By the looks of it, he just stepped out of the movie Grease. He’s got it all — a black leather jacket, white undershirt, and slicked back hair.
And that’s not all. He looks like a tough guy, but he talks with a squeaky voice. He’s clearly drunk, because he’s slurring through a story about his rival Leo Balmudo with grand, sweeping gestures.
You’re a decent person, so you finish the conversation and then excuse yourself.
Let’s be honest — you’re not gonna befriend that guy.
But why?
- Outdated style/appearance: he came to a black tie event in a 50’s greaser outfit.
- Inconsistent persona: he looked one way (tough) but sounded another (squeaky voice).
- Wrong audience: he underdressed for the event and drank too much.
Ultimately, he wasn’t relevant. He might be good person, but his persona isn’t doing him any favors.
A similar concept applies to your brand.
Three problems that plague brands.
Outdated
Your brand needs to be relevant. Consumers are increasingly tech savvy, and if your website isn’t modern, functional, and well-designed with attention-grabbing copy, they’ll leave you for your competitors.
Let’s compare two websites selling Vespas. One site is outdated. One isn’t. Placed side by side, there’s a stark difference in modernity, functionality, and design.
Imagine you’re in the market for a Vespa, scouring the web for a good brand. If you stumbled across these websites, which company would you trust with your business?
Inconsistent
Your brand (and all supporting brand elements) needs to be used consistently across all platforms. Consistency makes your brand easily identifiable and fosters trust with your target audience.
Brand books are a good way to ensure consistency. They establish guidelines and rules for every aspect of your brand, so copywriters and designers can reference brand standards and create uniform content.
Charity:water, an NPO bringing clean water to people around the world, is one of the most consistent brands I’ve come across. From social to web and everything in between, their messaging inspires and brings awareness. Their brand book helps them create uniform content across all mediums and platforms. Check it out!
Wrong audience
Your brand has a persona, and so does your audience. Filling out an audience profile fleshes out their persona and helps you understand their needs. What are their demographics? How do they consume media? What needs/goals does your brand fulfill?
By now you’ve probably heard about the failed Pepsi ad featuring Kendall Jenner. Clearly, Pepsi didn’t understand their audience’s needs or desires. Accused of trivializing Black Lives Matter and other serious protests, the ad was removed within hours. Its insensitivity has undoubtedly alienated Pepsi from a segment of their consumer base.
What is a brand? Literally.
It’s your website, as seen by the Vespa brands. It’s your social media, as demonstrated by Charity: water’s consistent posts. And it’s your advertising, which is hopefully more socially astute than Pepsi’s commercial. It’s these things and so much more.
Your brand is your dynamic persona. It’s the way you interact with your audience. It’s your web design, photographic style, brand mark (logo), website functionality, brand voice, and more. These things need to be consistent across all messaging channels, as if your brand is one person with a magnetic personality.
That’s where we come in.
We help brands avoid three common pitfalls: being outdated, inconsistent, and speaking to the wrong audience. But that’s not all!
We work with businesses to uncover their brand identity. Stop by our office in downtown Orlando. We’ll lead you through a fun and engaging brand discovery process. By the end of the sessions, foundational elements of your brand identity will be well-defined.
Brand identifiers like brand archetype(s), audience persona, core values, brand voice, and more direct all future creative decisions. They define how you interact with your audience so you don’t show up to a black tie affair in a greaser outfit.
Take a step towards maximizing your brands relevance. Contact Big Vision today!
Learn more about Big Vision here, and if you’re curious about working together let us know!
A modern creative agency.
