Branding is part of what I do, alongside business development, PR and good old fashioned marketing – they’re all linked. Some people still seem mystified by what that means. I wonder what century they’re living in.
Branding has been one of the 20th and 21st centuries’ most powerful economic drivers. Arguably, branding goes back to the dawn of time. But that’s a timescale too huge to deal with here, belonging more in the realms of philosophy.
Instead, let’s cut to the chase in classic 21st century style.
What is Branding?
- It’s about ownership
- It’s about reflecting core values
- It’s also about offering relevance and utility through a clearly articulated vision
- It’s about developing and maintaining a personality or tone of voice
- It’s definitely about look and feel (we are tactile and visual animals)
- It is most of all about the quality being promised, and of course the delivery of that promise in such a way as to exceed the initial promise
There’s a lot more to it, but the simple checklist above outlines just some of what’s involved. So what is involved in branding?
- Psychology (analysing human behaviour, motivations and impulses to act)
- Social Anthropology (observing behaviour)
- Demographic and Geo analysis (who, where etc)
- Consumption data (quantitative)
- Aspirational data (qualitative)
- History
- Culture
- Context …
But once a brand is established, the work doesn’t stop. It’s then about creating new products, adding value, defining and creating new ways of engaging new audiences or consumers … it’s never-ending and always evolving.
Here are some brands I’ve been part of creating and then developing over the years:
