We got a great question from a reader of our newsletter, asking for our opinion on, “…the key elements in creating and communicating an effective brand.”
This is the money-question and key to what makes most brands hot or not. Although there is no unadorned answer, we tried to get right to the point. Our answer came first from our beliefs at Proverb and then how we execute on them.
We believe that the key to communicating an effective brand happens at every touch point and therefore it is imperative to ensure that every ‘brand meeting’ builds a cohesive brand image.
Building an effective brand takes a combination of actions to achieve the objectives of the company and ultimately the brand itself. A brand is all of the intangible attributes attached to a product or service and building brand equity allows for increased value in the perceived value between the product and the brand. To do this we think there are some important rules one should always follow:
• Get the audience to stop and take notice – someone will stop paying attention in a fifth of a second given the chance.
• The medium is the message – relate to your audience in all representations of the message, make them impactful and memorable.
• Keep it simple – each message should be clear, the sum of the messages will equal the total brand image.
• Be likable – be contemporary in content and tone, reflect what’s relevant to life as lived today.
• Be especially excellent – many brands are consumed for pleasure and enjoyment, so make them worthwhile.
• Be strategic – never underestimate the importance of research, insight, and opinions on all creative directions, media outreach and sales promotion.
• Be different – take pride in what makes you/your brand different, what makes the brand be chosen.
