Branding

Suddenly a plague of branding schmexperts
close-up-of-a-calf-being-branded-thumb800223
Branding is debated a lot in marketing circles today. Perhaps too much. When the West was wilder, red-hot pieces of iron molded into an identifying shape were pressed onto the hip of a subdued cow. The resulting scar branded the cow and became a source of identity for sending rustlers to the gallows.

In marketing we try to etch an image into the mind of a human. This practice has loosely been called branding, although I prefer the term brand development.

Brand has to do with identity. In that regard every organization, indeed every person has a brand. But that brand exists only in the mind of the customer, the viewer, or the listener. Think of just one person. Your brand is the conclusion fixed in the mind of that person as to your identity and your value to them.

So a brand is not a logo, a color palette, a graphic design or (in most businesses) an image seared into cow flesh. A brand exists only in the mind of someone else. When someone sees the NIKE "Swoosh" logo, they recognize it as the NIKE identifier. But it's just a marker. An index of sorts. The real issue is what emotional connection the company has made with that person through actual experience with its products or services.

Customer experience creates the brand. Good logos and consistent graphics serve as markers of identification. But, they are not the identity.

So yes you need a good logo, color palette, and graphic design. And we help our clients to create the proper image to go with their identity. But the real branding takes place when someone encounters your message, your product, your receptionist. Packaging is important, but ultimately it is customer experience that makes you memorable. Or not. If you create remarkable customer experiences, but need help getting your story told and your sales growing, send us an email.  Or call.