What is Your Brand Essence

I’m working on a branding project for a client of mine, that has led me to spend time on the phone with the company’s executives, partners and customers to delve into the secrets that underlie the company’s brand. So this blog post is once again on the topic of branding.

 

You’ve heard me say that a company’s brand is not defined by the product you make or the market you are in, but rather by the collective behaviour and personality of the company. To use branding language, your brand is defined by intangible qualities associated with your company and/or your services/products. To apply some more extensive criteria to the definition of brand, a strong brand should (no must be):

 

1. Unique
2. Relevant
3. Honest
4. Consistent
5. Longlasting

 

Your brand should be defined by your uniqueness. What defines your business in terms of the competition? (hint - don’t think product feature – remember this must be intangible). What is the one thing you do that trumps the competition every time? If you can put your finger on that, you have likely identified what it is that makes you unique.

 

It’s one thing for a company to claim quality as an intangible brand characteristic, but if the product continuously breaks, or the service is poor, then it is an untrue claim. The brand characteristics you identify must be honest and true, and hold up to the scrutiny of partners, customers and employees.

 

If you portray inconsistent message or image across your various communications channels, then you have fragmented and garbled your brand message. It’s ok to evolve, but avoid changing your logo and tagline as often as you change your socks. Consistency on all fronts is key to brand resonance.

 

Maytag knows a good thing. The Maytag repairman, the symbol for reliability – the company’s brand essence – is into his 40th year of service. Ivory Snow has stood for purity for more than 100 years. Branding your company and product requires long term thinking and sticktoit-ivness.

 

So I’ll leave you with this exercise. Think about what your company and/or product stands for. What do you do better in an intangible way than any of your competitors. Are you more reliable? Are you more simple? More innovative? Is your service above reproach? These are the clues to your brand essence. Now use this and express your brand in six words. Now do it in two words. And here’s a crazy notion – try it on yourself to establish your personal brand.

 

For all my start up clients, found this really good blog on marketing basics for new companies. Some very good advice & very reflective of the work we do together:

 

http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/9008/Startup-Marketing-Tactical-Tips-From-The-Trenches.aspx