What is a brand?— Branding knowledge series.
“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
But what is a brand really?
A brand isn’t just one thing. A brand is a set of perceptions or ideas in the eyes and mind of a customer – the perceptions and ideas they have about your business, product or service. This customer opinion can be formed by many things such as: what your brand looks like; how it sounds; what it does (and doesn’t) do; and how it behaves.
Specifically, how your business behaves – and subsequently what people’s experience of your business is – forms a set of thoughts or feelings in the mind of your customer and, ultimately, forms your brand.
What defines a brand?
A brand can be defined by a series of components that help create a brand perception in the eyes of consumers. These include:
Brand strategy
Brand personality
Branding/brand identity
A business can shape how an audience perceives their brand by defining a brand strategy and a brand personality and using these foundations to lead the design of their branding (or brand identity). But, contrary to what some may have you believe, it’s not all smoke and mirrors. There’s an art, and some science, to creating the right brand perception.
Using the right tools to shape your brand.
1. Brand strategy
The purpose of a brand strategy* is to set a plan that’s in line with your business goals. A brand strategy can include an array of components and can cover lots of different things. Some brand strategies are very elaborate and cumbersome. Perhaps too cumbersome (not to mention too expensive) for many businesses (think pages and pages of data, research, figures, charts etc). Other brand strategies can be more succinct, or a more condensed and user-friendly overview of the core elements that a business needs to nut out to build a brand, such as the who, what, how and why of your brand.
*Learn more about brand strategy here: What is a brand strategy?
2. Brand personality
A brand personality, or persona, is a description of your brand in human terms. So think of your brand as a person. What’s that person like? What are they like to interact with? What do they look like? How do they sound? From appearance to character traits – and everything in between – your brand personality needs to be one that your customers or audience can relate to. And one they feel an emotional connection to.
3. Branding/brand identity
Your branding (or brand identity) is the visual and verbal represention of your brand. It’s the tangible elements such as your logo or brand mark, your messaging, your brochures or business cards, your packaging or website. All of these elements need to work together to consistently communicate your brand personality and to shape the right perception of your brand. If just one element is out of sync your entire brand can suffer.
Getting these brand fundamentals right will set your business on the right track and will create a brand that you can grow into, not out of. Building a strong brand can also set you apart from your competitors and provide a competitive advantage. It can enable your business to:
Create customer loyalty and trust
Create differentiation and an emotional connection
Become memorable and a brand of choice
Simplify customer decision making
Command a premium
Increase employee and stakeholder engagement
Not convinced? Take a look at some leading brands.
A great way to understand what a brand really is – and how valuable it can be – is to look at other brands from the perspective of a consumer. Think of one of your favourite brands, maybe it’s Nike, or perhaps it’s Apple? Now think about how you feel about that brand and what it represents to you.
For example:
The Nike brand represents: athleticism, greatness, authenticity and strength.
The Apple brand represents: simplicity, innovation, passion and change.
These brand perceptions didn’t happen by accident. They were built out of the right brand foundations:
A clear brand strategy;
A believable brand personality; and
A consistent brand identity.
Make your brand clear, consistent and believable.
The takeaway
A brand is what your customers or audience remember about your business, service or product. It’s how they would describe it to a friend on an emotional level; the feeling it leaves them with. And, as most successful businesses know, it's really important to get your brand perception right.
Does your business have a clear and consistent brand?
Is it connecting with the right audience? Get in touch with our Perth branding specialists and we’ll help you build a one-of-a-kind brand.
