Why you should never neglect your branding.
You know Google? Coca Cola? Amazon? Chanel? Nike? Yes, you do. Do you consume/use any of them? Not necessarily. But you know who they are, what they sell and where to find them, right? There’s a good reason for that. Aside from the fact that these brands are basically giants and hard to miss, that kind of recognition took years to build. Like most brands, they started from scratch, gained momentum, and grew exponentially thanks to one particular advantage that they’ve invested in - branding.
Let’s set the record straight - branding is not creating a logo or choosing the font of your website. It goes way beyond your visual identity and encompasses many different aspects that we will discuss while answering why you should never neglect your branding.
If we had to summarize it in a few words, branding would be your entire consumer experience. A lot of things are at stake here, for example:
- how do you differentiate yourself from your competitors, particularly in an overcrowded industry where you might not even get noticed in the first place?
- do clients generally have a good experience in store, on your website and on the phone with your representatives?
- do you create a sense of familiarity with your employees and customer base?
- do you show passion?
- do you products/services generate discussion?
- are you communicating your values efficiently?
We get it, it’s overwhelming and often, you don’t even know where to start. The smartest thing to do is to ask experts in the field - that way, you don’t have to do it yourself. Creative and digital agencies for instance, juggle between companies from different industries - they usually have the expertise to know what works and what does not. Here at Mint Stalk, we have helped many start-ups and already established businesses navigate around that heavy concept and assist them in bringing their brands to the top. As a leading creative and digital agency, we’d like to help you too.
Branding is a powerful tool. In addition to being highly strategic, it is also a financial asset. Indeed, people tend to opt for branded products because of their quality and their promise as opposed to those that are not. It all comes down to reputation.
An incredible example of this would be from De Beers, the internationally recognized diamond mining company. They built their entire DNA around just a few words: “A Diamond is Forever”. Apart from the fact that they are recognized as the world’s largest producer and distributor of fine diamonds, the company made a bold and daring move - according to an article written in the Washington Post, the idea of offering a diamond as a token of betrothal didn’t not exist before De Beers. To this day, the public just sees diamonds as an obvious symbol of love and eternity. Will that ever change? We don’t know, but De Beers definitely had a good run with it and is still considered a pioneer in the industry despite so many new competitors. One thing is for sure, it stood out. The passion and confidence shown by De Beers left the whole world in awe, but the confidence and passion around it, is what kept it going for so long. Same goes for today’s brands.
Let’s go back to what we mentioned previously about visual identity. This is your first contact with consumers and a short-term first impression. If it’s attractive and captivating, people will look. Have you ever seen the first Starbucks logo from 1971 ..? Ya … That mermaid wasn’t too pretty back then and they did well to change it. Visuals do play an important role in getting people’s attention and remember you, for sure. If you’re lucky, people will move on to finding you online - is your website attractive? How’s your font? Is your social media interactive? All these visual aspects will make you stand out if you’re attentive to details and are consistent with your approach.
If you made a good impression, they might come into your stores for the first time - bingo! What do you do now? A good example that we just spoke about is Starbucks. You know that moment when you give them your name after you ordered your coffee, they butcher it and then write it on your cup before giving it to you? That’s part of their branding strategy and it’s awesomely creative. You probably haven’t given it too much thought but you’re basically doing free marketing for them by reposting your new name on your Instagram story because it made you laugh. That’s how you win consumers’ hearts. If you’re not a very creative person, this type of thinking is often difficult to come by. That’s why creative and digital agencies exist! Brainstorming happens and the most inspiring, funny, quirky ideas come out of it. It’s one of our favourite things to do here at Mint Stalk.
It is probably a little bit scary competing with big international brands at first. Google for example, has basically become a verb: “Google it!”. There is however a new growing trend to go more “local”. People seem to grow increasingly less impressed with the big names and often prefer to go for the smaller and greener local ones. The factor that determines whether or not your business will succeed is if you’re willing to invest on your branding long-term: how can you continuously improve? Are you willing to evolve, better yourself and take your brand to new places? It’s becoming increasingly important to be able to state the following clearly:
What you do: How do you add value to your consumers, how do they benefit from your products/services, how do you solve their problems/respond to their needs …
How you do it: The way you deliver the “what”, how you communicate your message, what is your behaviour towards your clients …
Why you do it: What is your purpose, what drives you to do what you do, what motivates you to continue ...
Your “who” and “what” are your short-term touch-downs, your “how” and “why” are your long-term goals and relationships.
People also tend to opt for brands that have a positive message and a transparent way of communicating. If you remember correctly, a famous car maker (whose name we will not mention) admitted to lying on their report about the amount of nitrogen oxide pollutants emission of their cars and cheating on emission tests in the US. Not cool. The results? A media scandal, a challenged reputation and customer loyalty. If your brand cannot remain consistent, authentic and honest, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Here at Mint Stalk, we are here to make sure that does not happen. As a leading creative and digital agency in Dubai, we understand the consequences of a messy branding and we are very careful when it comes to that. Just like any other leading agencies, we wear our promise on our sleeve and we too rely on our branding to thrive and offer our partners conclusive results.
There is no simple recipe or check-list to a good branding strategy but here are the most important and winning aspects:
A visual identity (logo, name, font, website, social media etc.) that allows people to distinguish you from the rest easily.
A clear message and mission that set the ground for your actions.
An innovative touch to keep the excitement going (e.g. new products, advertising campaigns...).
A thoughtful and efficient client service to keep consumers happy if crises arise.
A good reputation backed by positive values and morals to keep your customers’ trust and loyalty.
Once you get those going and see the rewards, your customer experience will no longer be a mystery for you. Don’t neglect the time spent on it, it could make or break you (not to be doom and gloom or anything, we just want what’s best for you). And that’s the tea.
