This is a guest post from Revolve Branding & Marketing
(Member since 1987)
Very early in human innovation, we learned to make bricks. They are the oldest known building material and have been around for almost 10,000 years. Inevitably, some of those early bricks were pretty sketchy.
Certain masons who stood behind their products opted to mark a symbol on each brick to ensure builders knew exactly where that brick came from (reputation) and deliver confidence in the product (expectation).
From our perspective, this was the birth of the concept of ‘branding’. That combination of reputation and expectation that delivers your promise to the world.
In modern times, the word ‘Brand’ has become a cliché. Modern definitions seem all inclusive of logos, names, colours, filters and the aesthetics associated with a company or person.
Brand has become an over-used, under-valued commodity term, included as a line item in the service offerings of every designer, web developer, life coach, influencer and agency. This makes us a little sad, but a lot motivated.
The original essence of branding is something we hold in high regard – the emotional connection you create with your audience because of actions you repeatedly do and not what you say or how you look.
Strong brands create an important mental shortcut. Confidence in a product, service or person eliminates the need for rationalization, research or alternatives. It can bridge the positive customer experience you create into new technology and new ways of connection.
Effective branding comes from strategy, not design and from culture, not advertising. It is rooted in the deeper level of consciousness that is foundational to operations and ethics. It’s what you do, not what you say.
A well-articulated brand gives voice to personality, values, mission and purpose. It creates the ability for a corporation, and the team members that comprise it, to make the right decisions with confidence. Those decisions feel right because they stem from a deeply rooted ethos that operates outside of surface level noise, trends and bright, shiny objects.
When we get this right, our clients identify their ‘secret sauce’. That unmistakable and unique strength that creates revenue, margin and equity.
Sometimes the process of exploring and articulating your brand can feel ‘soft’ or aethereal. But we see it as the complete opposite. Taking care of the ethos for your business offers focus and direction when times get tough.
We’re all dealing with continuously massive shifts in customer behaviour and uncontrollable moves toward digital experience. It’s never been more important to shed traditional ways of doing business without losing sight of what makes your business tick.
Ask yourself, if historic methods of ensuring you stay relevant with customers, will it continue to be as effective as you grow, and as the world continues to change? Is the language that defines your company and services overtly clear for your team members?
Your team wants to be aligned and act autonomously– especially when remote workplaces become the norm.
Revolve’s purpose is to help brands thrive. Our mission is to provide an extraordinary experience for our clients, with ideas rooted in strategy and executed with creativity. We do this by listening, untangling and creating.
Consider your own bricks. Are they recognized and sought out for precisely the right projects? We can help you make your mark.
< Back to Articles | Topics: Trends