What comes to mind when someone mentions ‘good branding’?
Most people will have the same basic response. Namely, they will immediately default to ‘well, it’s about evoking powerful images, it’s about the visual identity, so logos and colours’. And to an extent, they are right. Getting the right logo is absolutely a part of a business’s marketing and branding strategy. After all, that little image will be what represents us in the years to come. It will be our selling point as much as the quality of our product or service itself.
But let’s get one thing straight. Even the best possible logo can’t bear the brunt of branding alone. In fact, branding is a complex process that involves numerous factors. Think business models, slogans, and messages to social media posts, accessibility, and representation. It covers the visual appeal of promo items, sure, but it goes well past that.
So, why do all of these elements matter so much, and why do we have to interconnect them all? In this article, we try to answer those questions, and many more.
Brand Recognition Growth
In order to stress the point of proper branding, we will start off with the logos and expand it to cover other elements. Let’s use one of the most popular brands on the planet, McDonald’s.
Obviously, the first two items that come to mind are the golden arches and the ‘I’m Lovin’ It’ slogan. When you mention this fast food chain to anyone, the first thing they will think of is those two arches on a red background. And if they feel particularly jovial, they’ll even do a little chant that involves the slogan. That right there is a good start for branding, i.e. a good visual identity and a decent, memorable motto.
But those two alone didn’t make McDonald’s stand out. One of the key elements that turned this restaurant into a global empire is its business practices. Namely, the whole point of McDonald’s is to serve fast food as fast as possible. On average, people will get a meal at McDonald’s more quickly than they would at a regular joint, or even a no-name fast food restaurant. Furthermore, there’s the entire ‘toy gift with every Happy Meal’ policy which draws in millions of children across the globe. Lucrative deals with movie and animation studios only boost this model. There are entire circles of fans and collectors out there who focus entirely on collecting and cataloguing toys that come from these McDonald’s meals.
So let’s sum up: a good logo, a catchy slogan, a clearly defined business model with a definite goal, and knowing their customers. All of these elements make up the branding of McDonald’s, and thousands of successful businesses globally have similar approaches.
Building Trust
And speaking of different businesses, let’s focus on what makes them distinct. From there, we can slowly segue into building the proper trust with our clients. Once again, let’s focus on McDonald’s. Obviously, it’s far from being the only global fast food chain. There are many others like it that compete to stay afloat. Wahaca, Greggs, Dixy Chicken, Chicken Cottage Limited, and other UK-based brands are just some that have to compete with McDonald’s, for example. And much like their American counterpart(s), they all have distinct branding strategies.
When a brand has an entire marketing process behind it, it sends a clear signal to the consumer. Namely, they know that the brand is trying its best to sell a product. As such, it isn’t afraid to invest in marketing. So, what if all we have as a brand is the logo and the visual identity, but no other branding elements? Well, we’ll appear suspicious, and not without reason. After all, a lot of no-name brands barely bother to invest in branding. So, they either fall by the wayside or stay afloat using less than reputable means.
On the other hand, branding is a process, and it makes us actually focus on the long-term success of our company. We constantly have to maintain the list of branding rules we’ve set for ourselves, as well as evolve along with the world around us. Nowadays, our competition will use social media and modern tech to push their product forward, and it only makes sense that we follow suit. That effort will pay tenfold, since customers recognise the effort and support it in the most direct way possible, i.e. with their wallets.
Employee Benefits
We’ve all started from the bottom, so we more or less know what a dead-end job can feel like. If there’s no investment in the brand, there’s no need for us as its employees to bother promoting it. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Why would a worker promote a company if its own CEO doesn’t care enough to do it?
On the other hand, if we approach branding properly and actually involve our employees as brand ambassadors, we will foster an excellent working atmosphere. Furthermore, we can even direct some of that branding directly to the employees and award their efforts for the days, months, weeks, or years they’ve spent working for us. In return, they will appreciate our effort and return the favour in both employment and brand loyalty. And that’s more valuable than any amount of money.
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Customer Loyalty
And since we’re discussing loyalty, let’s shift from employees to customers. One last time, we will use McDonald’s as an example.
There are plenty of reasons behind employees constantly returning to this brand, even if they might prefer eating at other restaurants or having home-cooked meals. As we stated earlier, it’s all in the intricacy of branding. Because McDonald’s maintains the same level of branding quality, it will always have loyal buyers. More importantly, the brand knows how to adjust enough to meet popular demands but remain consistent with its core message and branding strategies. That flexibility has helped McDonald’s stay on top, and any brand that can emulate that is headed for success.
When Branding Goes Beyond the Logo
Branding includes many facets, from the visual to the auditory, from the written word to the unspoken, but visible work practices. If a brand is consistent enough with what it does, that consistency will resonate with people anywhere on the planet. Not only will they remain loyal to the brand, but they’ll encourage other people to explore it as an option. In other words, if we invest in it well, branding can earn us a lot of revenue and a long life on the marketplace.
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If you need even more info about creating a brand logo or any other related subject, we are here for you. Give us a call at 0800 0148 970 or simply email us today.
