At Design the Planet we eat, drink and speak BRAND. For us BRAND is all encompassing. Whether it’s a logo, website, a brochure, billboard or company uniform, everything that is associated with your company should be BRANDED. But, keep in mind that BRAND is much more than a visual element, BRAND is also about the attitude of your “brand ambassadors” (aka employees) and the customer “experience.” Because BRAND plays so many different roles in the success of your business, every person on your team needs to “know” your BRAND and “represent” your BRAND every moment they are on the clock and sometimes even when they’re off.
Here is a short list of BRAND terms and definitions that every business owner should know:
The definition of brand is a “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.”
A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan.
A concept brand is a brand that is associated with an abstract concept, like breast cancer awareness or environmentalism, rather than a specific product, service, or business.
A commodity brand is a brand associated with a commodity.
A proper brand can result in higher sales of not only one product, but on other products associated with that brand.
A brand personality is what identifies a product, service or company (name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or combination of them) and how it relates to key constituencies: customers, staff, partners, investors etc.
A brand has value and is one of the most crucial elements in an advertising theme, as it demonstrates what the brand owner is able to offer in the marketplace.
The art of creating and maintaining a brand is called brand management.
Orientation of the whole organization towards its brand is called brand orientation.
Brand awareness refers to customers’ ability to recall and recognize the brand under different conditions and link to the brand name, logo, jingles and so on to certain associations in memory.
Brand identity is the outward expression of a brand – including its name, trademark, communications, and visual appearance. It affects the personality of a product, company or service. It is defined by a perception, good or bad, that your customers or prospects have about you.
Brand elements encompass many aspects:
- Name: Words used to identify your company, product, service, concept
- Logo: A visual trademark that identifies your brand can say a lot. Everyone knows the Niki “checkmark.”
- Tagline or Catchphrase: “Let your fingers do the Walking” is a phrase most of us associate with the YP brand.
- Shapes: The distinctive shape of the Coca-Cola bottle or the Volkswagen Beetle are trademarked elements of those brands.
- Graphics: The dynamic ribbon is also a trademarked part of Coca-Cola’s brand.
- Color: The National Breast Cancer Association is immediately recognizable by it’s pink ribbon.
- Sounds: A unique tune or set of notes can “denote” a brand: NBC’s chimes are one of the most famous examples.
- Movement: Lamborghini has trademarked the upward motion of its car doors.
- Smells: Scents, such as the rose-jasmine-musk of Chanel No. 5 is trademarked.
- Taste: KFC has trademarked its special recipe of 11 herbs and spices for fried chicken.
A brand ambassador is the physical embodiment of your company. The way you and your employees dress, speak and act tells your customer who you are, what your values are and how professional your company is.
As you can see from this short list, your BRAND is a collection of elements and experiences that touch and titillate one or all of your customer’s senses. So, first things first – understand the POWER OF YOUR BRAND – then get creative, use your imagination and BRAND EVERYTHING!
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand
