Question

Topic: Branding

What Are The Secrets To Brand Success?

Posted by Anonymous on 5/15/2007 at 4:35 AM ET 500 Points
I am working on a branding campaign and I need to address the most important elements of branding from the ground up. We need everything (logo, colors, key messages, fonts, etc...), but we will not have time or budget to address it all.

What are the most important (top 10) brand elements?
What do we need to address first?
Which ones can we ignore for now?

Thank you.

David
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 5/15/2007 at 4:54 AM Author
    Thank you so much for your reply. That makes a lot of sense. It just seem that the more I dig into branding, the more information I find. It is hard trying to prioritize. What would your recommendation be for prioritizing generally?
  • Posted by mail2booth on 5/15/2007 at 9:28 AM Accepted
    David,

    What is more important the tires or the steering wheel? You get my point. This is something that is very difficult to do in stages. If you develop a brand look and messaging together, before going to market with it, you can present it in stages. For example, the look and colors of the logo and type reflect the image you are trying to convey. They must be in concert with the messaging you are creating.

    You can then begin to publish content and develop materials as one-offs which will honor your budget constraints. BUT, the look and messages must be thought out prior to creating collateral and online marketing to insure the consistency. A brand look and messaging must be congruent and consistent.

    Good Luck,

    Bill Booth
    Booth Bay
  • Posted by bobhogg on 5/16/2007 at 9:02 AM Member
    Hi David...

    You've already received some good advice - but let me add a recommendation to read "Brand Vision" by David Taylor (ISBN 978-0-470-02853-3) It's a practical guide to what you're looking to do - and, as you say you've not got much time, it won't take too long to read; in fact, it's the sort of book you can dip into and get guidance on specific issues without having to read from cover to cover.

    Good luck
    Bob
  • Posted by ilan on 5/16/2007 at 11:38 AM Accepted
    David,
    Since what you call "branding" is only a small portion of that lifelong process, I'll give you a top 10 list, but its only the tip of the iceberg...
    Here's a little essential list:
    1. Know who you are. Make sure everybody in your company knows that too, from the CEO down to the messengers who work for you.
    2. Know what you stand for. What are the values of your business. What will be the things your brands WILL NOT accept.
    3. Differentiate yourself from competitors
    4. Resonate with your customers, not just in advertising, logo or colors...
    5. Be relevant to your customers, when was the last time you checked this one?
    6. Conduct a brand audit to understand what is not working in the current "branding"
    7. Run some market research to understand what your customers are used to getting from you, and what they actually expect from you.
    8. Never think in terms of "I don't have time for this branding stuff", branding never stops.
    9. If you think that your budget is small for branding, where do you invest most of your money? product development? adveritsing? employees?
    10. Call me.

    Ilan Geva
    Branding instructor-University of Chicago, Graham School
    773-472-1500
  • Posted on 5/16/2007 at 6:43 PM Author
    Thank you so much for your help. This really puts me on the right track (mentally). I will close the question in a few hours in case others have input or ideas on "quick fixes"; because that is where we will have to start.

    The ongoing, internal issues are more operational and involve corporate culture - which will take more time.
  • Posted by chough on 5/18/2007 at 4:27 AM Accepted
    This is worth checking out https://www.slideshare.net/coolstuff/the-brand-gap (as is the book it comes from), also try googling Tom Asaker (he's got a cool blog), and comanies that specialise in branding (like Lippcott Mercer) often have enlightening articles to download. It's a huge subject, with "experts" having many different, often conflicting, opinions; but it rewards as much study as you care to give it!

    Andrew
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