BRANDING IS NOT MYTHOLOGY.
BRANDING IS NOT SOFT STUFF.
BRANDING IS NOT A LUXURY EXPENSE, AND IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE.
BRANDING IS A REQUIREMENT FOR MAXIMIZING BUSINESS RESULTS.
Branding has a mythological quality about it – the facts aren’t discernible and there are countless interpretations of what it is and how it happens. Companies look at iconic brands like Apple, or Nike, or MTV, and wonder: what is their secret sauce and how can I get the recipe? Start-ups often see ‘the brand’ as a luxury investment they can’t afford until they have customers and revenues; but the fact is, it’s a lot harder to get and keep customers, or build revenues, without a brand.
Creating a brand is the heart of what we do. So let’s debunk the top 5 myths of branding so you can get on with creating yours.
Not to create a brand is more expensive; it’s harder to create more space between your company and its competitors if you aren’t a brand. A basic brand platform doesn’t have to cost a lot, and investment in execution can grow in line with the business needs/demands.
The four basic elements of a brand platform are:
1. the strategy (the core idea)
2. the brand character (the voice and attitude)
3. the brand behaviors (4-5 principles for operationalizing the brand)
4. the brand toolkit (key tools everyone in the company can use)
Insights on a customer’s target audiences as human beings – not just as customers – are essential to getting the strategy right. If a company doesn’t understand its customers’ values, attitudes, concerns and passions as people, it won’t have a sticky strategy. If a company doesn’t have this information, Gutc Brands knows some cost effective ways of getting to it.