INSIGHT PAUL REES ASSOCIATES HOW TO BUILD A BRAND
DEFINE YOUR POSITIONING, THEN DEVELOP A BRAND IDENTITY
In my first article in the March edition of G3 magazine, I highlighted why building a brand is important and the key benefits it offers to businesses of all sizes. In April's piece, I covered the first key strategic step in developing a strong brand, namely, customer targeting. In May’s edition, I discussed brand positioning development. In this article, the focus is on brand identity.
Brand development is best done sequentially; that is, once your target customers have been identified, a brand positioning should ideally be developed. Tis positioning focuses on how your brand differs from its competitors and helps you stand out in the market. Once you have defined your positioning, it’s important to shape a brand identity.
WHAT IS BRAND IDENTITY, AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Brand identity encompasses the essence of a brand, representing its mission, values, personality, and voice, as well as its visual identity. It serves as the foundation for building customer loyalty, recognition, and trust. A company that aims to create a brand for itself seeks to satisfy customer needs through its product or service. However, achieving this can be challenging without employing materials that are visually, emotionally, and psychologically appealing to your target customers.
A well-defined brand identity can help you attract new customers and retain existing ones. People are naturally drawn to brands that align with their values, aspirations, and desires. Creating a brand identity that resonates with your target audience can attract customers who relate to your story and ethos.
Companies often overlook the importance of creating a well-defined brand identity as part of their marketing strategy, but it is a key step. Shaping a brand identity is an opportunity to personify a brand, bring it to life, and establish strong emotional connections with its target customers. By creating a unique and distinguishable identity, a brand can differentiate itself from its competitors and build a lasting reputation.
DEVELOPING A BRAND PERSONALITY AND VOICE
Your brand personality is an important part of your brand identity, and shaping it involves defining and expressing your brand’s character in a way that resonates with your target audience. Understanding your target audience
Paul Rees Founder Paul Rees Associates
paulreesassociates.co.uk
Paul Rees is a marketing consultant with 20+ years' experience in successfully driving brand and revenue growth across a range of sectors including Betting & Gaming, Retail, and Consumer Goods, for companies such as SIS, Argos, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Campbells.
Paul works with SMEs that have ambitious growth plans but lack senior marketing expertise. He helps develop effective marketing strategies and strong brands by utilising best practices in marketing planning and brand development, as well as lead generation, to drive company growth.
Your brand voice is how your personality is communicated verbally. It includes the tone, language, and rhythm of your written and spoken
communications. This voice should consistently reflect your chosen personality traits across all platforms, from advertising and web content to social media and customer service.
will help determine the personality traits that will most effectively connect with them. It’s also important to consider how your competitors position themselves and to examine the types of personalities already present in the market. Tis analysis will help you identify opportunities to differentiate your brand personality from others.
Based on your audience's characteristics and your brand values, it is advisable to select a few key personality traits that you want your brand to exhibit. Tese could range from being youthful and energetic to sophisticated and trustworthy. During my brand workshops, I usually work with clients to identify 'three magic words' that define their brand personality. For example, Red Bull’s magic words would be Daring, Spirited, and Imaginative.
Your brand voice is how your personality is communicated verbally. It includes the tone, language, and rhythm of your written and spoken communications. Tis voice should consistently reflect your chosen personality
traits across all platforms, from advertising and web content to social media and customer service.
VISUAL BRAND IDENTITY: ESSENTIAL TO YOUR BRAND'S IDENTITY
A visual brand identity consists of the visible elements of a brand, such as its colour, design, logo, and graphics that identify and distinguish the brand in customers' minds. Visual identity is crucial as it acts as a visual cue, triggering recognition and recall. Often referred to as 'brand codes,' it is essentially seen as the face and body of the brand.
A clearly defined visual brand identity can help aid recognition and make your business instantly recognisable to customers, which is just common sense.
It also creates uniqueness: In crowded markets, a distinctive visual brand identity helps your brand stand out from competitors. It's about more than just being seen; it's about being remembered.
Visual identity can also foster personification and emotional connection: It can evoke emotions in your audience. Colours, shapes, and images can all convey feelings and attitudes that resonate with your target market, creating a deeper emotional connection to your brand.
Marketing is not just about grabbing attention. It's about changing beliefs in the target audience. It’s not only about promoting your brand; it’s about highlighting how your brand is different, and a strong visual brand identity can help make you distinctive and recognisable.
BUILDING A VISUAL BRAND IDENTITY
In developing a visual brand identity, or 'set of codes,' best practice suggests that three to five individual elements or 'codes' are optimal. In addition to font, colour, graphics, and logo, other brand codes may include a founder, characters, celebrities, or a location associated with your brand.
Tis step generally involves creating the key components of your visual identity, such as a logo, which ideally should be relatively simple, memorable, and reflect your brand’s ethos. A colour palette is also key, and companies should choose colours that evoke the right emotions and convey your brand’s personality. Typography is important, and typefaces should be selected that complement your brand’s character and are legible across various mediums. Imagery also sometimes plays a part, and the style of imagery should be determined to align with your brand message, whether it involves photography, illustrations, or icons.
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P27
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