Demystifying Marketing: Branding
We all inherently understand what a brand means -it defines the emotional relationship we have with products and companies. A brand is created with intention and not by accident.
A common misconception is that a brand is built based on how the product is presented in the marketplace through brilliant advertising or impeccable messaging. However, building a brand is a multi-disciplinary strategic effort, encompassing every part of the organization, its values, and culture.
A brand identity is the personality of your business and a promise to your customers. Brand identity comprises your values, how you communicate your product, and what people feel when associating with it. Brand consultants can help you design the right logo, colors, and typography to symbolize your vision. But a brand is simply not a result of all the outward-facing media you create. A brand is a reflection of a company’s values, business goals, internal priorities, culture, and how coworkers treat each other.
Facebook’s media messages are centered around bringing the world closer together. Internally, their motto is “Move fast and break things” (displayed on the wall in their office). They did, and they broke their users’ trust many times over. They broke democracy. Even those who often use it do not have a favorable view of Facebook. Instagram and Whatsapp, both acquired by Facebook and run semi-independently, are more popular than Facebook itself.
Uber is another example of how a company’s values can tarnish a brand’s reputation. I’ve lived in San Francisco since the early days of Uber and Lyft. Uber’s toxic work culture was well-known in San Francisco, and as Uber grew, these stories reached the national media. I had heard Lyft drivers refer to Uber as “Screwber” long before the video of their former CEO barraging the driver went viral.
Lyft, on the other hand, has a very positive brand image. One of their values is “Wow your customer,” and it is evident. As a peer-to-peer ride-sharing company, Lyft encouraged its drivers to be friendly and speak with passengers (in fact, it used to be a norm to greet passengers with fist bumps in the early days). Lyft trusted their drivers would create a positive experience for the passengers probably because they invested in supporting the drivers — who are their customers. Lyft rides have been more than a means to get from point A to B. I have many memories of interesting conversations from my Lyft rides, including several restaurant recommendations.
A brand incorporates the consumer’s complete experience, both with the product itself and any interactions with the company. A strong brand requires consistency, or else it isn’t a brand at all. And consistency requires planning, strategy, and impeccable execution. That means the things you choose to do to build the brand cannot be haphazard or done on an ad-hoc basis. Branding is part art, part discipline. Hire talented brand specialists for the art. And then be disciplined while executing. Here are some tips:
- Know your “why”; it will help you define the brand identity and design the brand elements that best represent the company’s essence.
- Focus on building the company from a place of purpose. Be intentional in incorporating your brand identity across all business functions.
- Harmonize all the brand elements in all your external and internal collateral. Ensure all your teams understand the brand guidelines and incorporate the style guide. Create templates to make it easier for teams to adopt the brand style guide.
- Be Consistent. Be consistent in your messaging across the organization. Be consistent in the communication cadence across all your channels (it is okay to do less, but do it consistently). Be consistent in the types of events you organize or participate in. Be consistent in expressing your brand personality in your advertising. This consistency will ultimately drive your brand perception to great heights.
