Thinking of Rebranding or Refreshing your Existing Brand
I know what you’re thinking.
“Why on earth would we do that when our brand is well recognised in our industry?”
Well, for the same reason you buy a new suit - to keep up-to-date and look super
attractive to those you want to impress.
Too many business owners and managers think that because they give great service
and are nice people, they don’t have to pay much attention to how their business
looks. They think looking smart and professional is enough.
Unfortunately “smart and professional” is the new beige. Remember, it’s magic not
logic that ignites passion in customers today.
Why is an exciting brand identity important?
While brands speak to the mind and heart, brand identity is tangible and
appeals to the senses. Brand identity is the visual expression of a brand, its tone-
of-voice. It supports, expresses and communicates value. It is the shortest and
fastest form of communication there is.
You can see it, touch it, hold it, hear it, and watch it move.
Brand Identity begins with a brand name and logo and builds into a wide range
of communication collateral. Brand identity increases awareness and builds brand
equity.
Why is a great logo important?
The brain acknowledges and remembers shapes first, colours second
and words third. Shapes make a faster imprint on memory, while colours evoke
strong emotion. The brain takes longer to interpret language.
Creating a distinctive visual language, logo shape and colour scheme is imperative
in brand identity design.
Manchester United plans global domination. What about you?
Manchester United is considered the “Rolls Royce” of soccer. With a market value of
$960 million and 50 million fans, they have but one goal: global domination.
The reason they are succeeding is because their name signifies “winning”, even to
those with a limited knowledge of soccer.
Such is their market domination that even when they don’t win, people love and
admire them; enough to buy shirts, caps and other merchandise worth millions of
dollars.
How did they do it?
Time and money certainly played a big part, as well as owning their own stadium.
Add to that some pretty canny marketing strategies, like finding countries with huge
populations and no dominant national sport, building an impressive website,
expanding television distribution, dynamic merchandising, and the showcasing of
its many down-to-earth stars.
Have they spent much time fine-tuning their brand image?
You bet!
Not a day goes by without their marketing team examining each component
for improvement.
Considering 98% of Manchester United’s current revenue is British generated, one
can only imagine future opportunities and rewards.
Now, what about you? Is your marketing team (most likely to be you wearing one of
your many hats) continually fine-tuning your brand? If not, there’s no time like the
present to start.
Carolyn Morgan is a graphic designer, writer and illustrator who specialises in creating
positioning and brand identity strategies for a wide range of businesses. To see
examples of Carolyn’s work, go to http://www.carolynmorgan.com.au.