Brand Building Guide 101 by Engage Brandcraft

THE TINY (YET AMAZINGLY USEFUL) GUIDE TO:

CRAFTING

ENGAGING

BRANDS

For Small South African Businesses that want to be Big.

BRAND

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BUILDING

101

Feel free to sell this or pass it around | If you really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like it, please recycle it For more tips and clever tricks visit: iwantabrand.co.za | Whatever you do, never ever be ordinary.

WHAT MAKES A BRAND?

“Wikipedia:

A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business.

Effective brands in South Africa and all across the world are being built on 3 pillars:

“

Well that just about says it. Simple and to the point. Of course there are many other definitions of the word “brand” out there. What's interesting is just how varied they are. Google® “definition brand” and see for yourself. Such a lack of consensus makes sense though, because brands are all about identity and identity is a very difficult thing to pin down. You may find it helpful to think of a brand like this:

A brand is a combination of all the attributes and values that we associate with a particular product, service, business and/or entity. It is the mental file in which we place all these things together. A brand is also the name we recognise, the personality we sense and the gut feel we get when we think of them.

ENGAGING

BRAND

PERSONALITY

COMPELLING

BRAND STORY

CONNECTED

BRAND

IN MANY WAYS YOUR BRAND

IS YOUR REPUTATION 01

COMMUNITY Find out more at www.iwantabrand.co.za/pillars

WHAT MAKES IT GOOD?

The BIG 5.

ENGAGING: It’s a busy world out there, full of clutter and unpleasant interruptions. A good brand engages with people, it gets their attention and holds their interest. It delights and informs them. It is a welcome addition to their lives instead of an intrusion.

Relevant:

Authentic:

A good brand is also relevant. Conveying information that is applicable and useful - it must resonate with the target market in a meaningful way.

Your brand needs to deliver on its promises – explicit and implied. Keeping it real is always a winning strategy. Never pretend to be something you’re not.

Consistent:

Differentiated:

A consistent brand makes a focused impression and reinforces it over and over again. It signals professionalism and attention to detail. An inconsistently applied brand can damage your business more than having no brand at all. It creates confusion and looks amateur.

Finally, imagine a brand that is all of the above, but imagine it next to 5 other brands that are very similar in terms of concept, promise, tone or graphic style. That’s where differentiation comes in. In order to succeed, your brand needs to stand out from the crowd. © Engage Brandcraft CC 02

WHY BOTHER?

Q. So why invest all this brainpower and time into building a strategically sound and appealing brand? A.

Because, in time, your brand may become your most valuable asset. The perception of quality and benefits associated with your business will be built around your brand. In many ways it is what separates your business from you, what makes it a saleable entity. It’s what makes your business memorable and sets it apart. It’s also what allows you to charge a premium price. Here are just three ways your brand can benefit your bottom line:

RAISE BRAND AWARENESS TO NEW HEIGHTS WITHOUT SPENDING A FORTUNE

TOP OF MIND:

RECOGNITION

You’re the first brand that people will think of.

RECALL:

People will think of your brand when they think of your category.

RECOGNITION:

People will know your brand when they see it.

TIME 03

TODAY

BRAND-CENTRIC APPROACH APPLIED

2 2

SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE BRAND LOYALTY

BRAND SENSITIVE

BRAND SENSITIVE PRICE SENSITIVE

PRICE SENSITIVE

QUALITY SENSITIVE

MORE PASSIONATE

BIGGER MARKET SHARE

BRAND-LOYAL

(AND LESS ELASTIC DEMAND CURVE)

AMBASSADORS

MAXIMISE YOUR R.O.I. WHEN IT COMES TO:

ENGAGING BRAND

MARKETING/BRAND SPEND X 1000 000 X 100 000 COMMUNITY BUILDING

X 10 000 X 1000

SEO

X 100 X 10

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

X -10 TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING

SUMMARY:

QUALITY SENSITIVE

ONLINE ADVERTISING

A good brand means more loyal customers (who are prepared to pay for the privilege), better recognition and an improved reputation in the marketplace. All of these things have a net positive effect on your bottom line.

CONCEPT FIRST Brand identities are quite different from personal identities. Our personal identities are based on our unique human personalities, interactions and qualities. Like the Tin Man, the aspiring brand needs to find a heart in order to be loved (and therefore, effective). The best brand heart comes in the form of a brand concept. A brand concept is essentially a set of themes around an idea that underpins who that brand is, what it stands for and why.

WARNING #1 Branding Mistake made by South African entrepreneurs: Creating a brand without developing a brand concept first.

Brands that aren’t founded on a solid concept tend to be superficial. They can also be boring or even confusing. People are unable to engage with them because they cannot resonate on any deep, meaningful level.

In the absence of such a connection – the underlying business will be unable to fully capitalize on opportunities arising from wordof-mouth or brand loyalty. You also won’t be able to charge a premium price for your product or service. On the other hand, brands with a great concept often don’t even require the presence of a visual identity for people to know which brand they’re dealing with. They also make more intuitive sense to human beings because they look, sound and act in a more personable way.

TURNS

OUT BRANDS

CAN BE PEOPLE

AFTER ALL

RISE-EVERY-TIME CONCEPT RECIPE Sadly, there isn’t one. A concept is a very difficult thing to define. But they’re important because they underpin everything else that the brand is, does and says. The result is cohesive and deep. Each concept is different and no two development processes are the same.

Here are two fool proof ways to begin the concept generation journey:

Refresh your headspace and experiment. Have fun. If you’re starting a frozen yogurt brand, visit a dairy, sit in a walk-in freezer (till you can’t feel your toes) or give away free samples on the beach. Get talking to people, watch their reactions. The ideas will come.

Enlist professional help, talk to a specialist.

Get in touch with a professional brand-building firm - one that will work with you as opposed to over or under you. Schedule a workshop and commission a few hours of insight generating research.

MICRO CASE STUDY: You are going to start a laundry service that serves upmarket clients. You spend a day at a pricey Launderette. Listening to conversation, you realize how much people love their clothes and how upsetting a spoilt garment can be for them. You decide to focus on being obsessive compulsive and to signal this through German precision – crisp and to the point. The concept: You serve clothes not their owners. Your business is cold and precise. Now you know how your interiors look, how to answer the phone and you have an idea of what your logo might look like. All because you have a concept. 06

WHAT’S IN A NAME? The naming process is a very important and creative one and it can be really enjoyable. It’s also very intricate and tends to suck people in even more than naming a child. For those without experience, it can be daunting too as creative parts of the mind fire up for the first time in a while. You may find yourself treading a fine line somewhere between pedantic over-analysis and casual gut-feel.

MICRO CASE STUDY: A good name for that perfectionist launderette we spoke about on page 6? Starch. A bad name? Linda’s Laundry. (Although “Linda’s Laundry” would make much more sense if the launderette was instead positioned around personal attention and one-to-one service).

TIP

AVOID GENERIC SOUNDING NAMES

Look for branding fashions and run in the opposite direction.

A name is the one thing that almost every brand has. In many ways it defines you. It is the hook on which people will hang the various experiences, and beliefs that they associate with your brand. Choose wisely as mistakes here can be costly both in terms of lost opportunities and the price of changing your brand name at a later stage. If you can afford professional input and guidance, it’s worth the spend! Try to avoid naming the business after yourself unless it really works strategically or if you are a lawyer, dentist, doctor or boutique food/ design store. There are also lots of different kinds of names*. Consider metaphors, related words, cryptic connections and soft attributes as part of your brainstorming process.

TIP

STEER CLEAR OF GIMMICKS LIKE PUNS They don’t work unless you are aiming at a very basic market like a discount hair salon

*For a comprehensive list of naming types or for professional help with your naming process visit www.iwantabrand.co.za/naming

(“A Cut Above”). No.

NAMING SCORE CARD Rate the following from 1 - 10 What’s your initial gut impression of the name? Is it strong?

/10

Is the brand name original or is a similar name already in use? (A Google® search is the best way to find out)

/10

Use it in multiple different sentences and contexts, does it sound good?

/10

Does it relate to the primary attributes of your brand?

/10

Is the URL available (.co.za, .net or .com) ?

/10

Does the name sound sufficiently different from other brands in your category?

/10

How does the name look when written (in capitals and in lower case)?

/10

Does the name only have positive associations? (Be careful to consider all South African cultural groups!)

/10

Can the brand name tie back into a compelling story?

/10

Is it truly memorable?

/10

TOTAL

/100

BONUS: Could you turn the word into a useful verb/noun/adjective /adverb (like “Googling” something)?

HERE’S

IDEA

/10

Invite 10 friends who are in your target market to dinner and ask them to rate your 5 favourite names using the above methodology. You’ll probably benefit from their fresh perspectives. Remember to reveal and then score them one at a time. © Engage Brandcraft CC

8 LOGO TIPS YOUR DESIGNER SHOULD BE ON TOP OF 1

Your logo should be unique (and trademark-able) If your logo is a big red circle, your visual identity will probably not be sufficiently distinct and your brand recognition levels will suffer as a result (unless you have millions of bucks to throw at owning the 'big red circle'). It is also very unlikely that you will be able to trademark a big red circle unless you are related to the president.

Your logo should say something meaningful, even if it’s not obvious at first glance Your logo needs to build on your brand concept (see page 3); it is the symbolic representation of your business. Very often, it is also the first touchpoint a prospective customer or client will encounter. At the very least, your logo should reinforce your brand name (Apple anyone?).

Your logo should meet your strategic objectives* Is your business going to expand into new product lines in a couple of years? Does your logo need to make people feel at home? Does it need to make them feel cooler than school? Will it need to be animated/to come alive one day? Should it be recognisable in under a second? Must it appeal equally to Township Teens and Houghton Housewives? Make your logo work for its money. Figure out what it needs to achieve and then make sure it does.

Your logo should be simple Think of the world’s most effective logos and the ones you really like. Are they simple, clever and to the point? Probably. If you can’t sketch your logo out in less than 20 seconds, you’ve got yourself a picture, not a logo.

Your logo should be scalable Size counts, so you’ll probably want your logo to be colossal right? Well you can’t. At least not always. At times (like when you’re co-sponsoring an event or branding your postbox in the lobby…), your logo needs to look good and be recognisable in a small format too. The same goes for colour. Your brand needs to be recognisable in greyscale as well as in black and white.

Your logo should be smashable Say, for instance, I smashed your logo into little pieces. If I picked up one of those pieces, would I recognize that it belongs to your brand? The same applies to your packaging, website, brochures, even the table settings at your Christmas lunch. The more smashable your brand, the better.

JARGON BUSTER: “Smashable” means how strong your brand DNA is – for example if I cover up your logo on an ad, will I still be able to see that the ad belongs to your brand?

Your logo should be fully resolved The devil is in the detail. Logo generation is not about slapping some free font and an icon together. The logo must be cohesive, its various elements working together to create a polished, singular impression that lasts.

Your logo should be timeless Don’t be a fashion victim. If your logo looks like the embodiment of this year's design trends, it’s going to look old in three years' time. Blindly following the logo fashion of the moment also makes it very hard to stand out and be distinctive. Remember when people were designing logos to look like they were sitting on a sheet of reflective glass? Those logos are already dated.

*Having problems defining your strategic objectives? A fresh outside mind may be just what your fledgling brand needs. You’ll find one at a professional brandbuilding firm like (surprise!) engage.co.za. You'll also find some outstanding logo designers here too.

BRING YOUR BRAND TO LIFE: OFFLINE A brand that sits in a drawer or folder somewhere, out of sight, is a waste-of-time brand. It’s as good as no brand at all. In order to be effective, a brand needs to have points of contact with its market. We call these touchpoints. Touchpoints can range from packaging to the appearance of your delivery vehicles (even the type of vehicle); from the way in which customers are greeted, to the beverages you serve in your boardroom. The ideal, in terms of augmenting brand reputation and establishing recognition is to bring as many touchpoints into the ambit of the brand as possible. HOWEVER, this does not imply that you should go sticking your brand’s logo onto every available, legally permissible object (unless your brand is a budget hotel and having logos everywhere has aspirational qualities for your guests).

It means rather that every relevant touchpoint opportunity should be identified. The brand’s core concept and identity can then be applied to these in an effective and memorable way. A great exercise is to try to think of as many touchpoints around your brand as you can, under certain headings that are relevant to your business. We’ve laid out some structure in the form of a grid on page 13. This is a good place to get started. Remember: Really amazing touchpoints are the ones that are unexpected instead of standard or generic. That’s where the magic is.

For a comprehensive(ish) list of possible brand touchpoints, take a look at:

www.iwantabrand.co.za/touchpoints

JARGON BUSTER: A “touchpoint” is any object, place, moment or experience where your brand and your customer (or potential customer) meet - an opportunity for you to leave an impression and build on your identity. 11

BRING YOUR BRAND TO LIFE: ONLINE The dawn of the internet era means that connecting with people, spreading information and building communities is a thousand times easier than it ever has been before. However it has also confused and disappointed a lot of South African start-ups and small businesses because many entrepreneurs have no idea how to use its platforms effectively. Does your business need a Facebook ® page? Probably not. A website? More likely. Your web presence doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to a website though (Home; About Us; Contact Us etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.). Instead of a glorified online brochure, your site should be a tool for you to engage with people and let them connect with each other around your brand. In order to be effective, your online brand must enrich the user’s life in some way. This will help you build your reputation and ultimately, your business. For many businesses, online is where much of your brand (and touchpoints) will live. When it comes to using the internet to build your brand and convey your message, the possibilities are endless. Some examples include: Purpose-Built Apps, Viral Content, Online Experiences and Community Platforms.

FIVE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS*: • Does this online touchpoint reinforce my brand concept? • It is professionally executed and does it carry my visual brand identity in a way that is consistent with my offline touchpoints? • Does this fit into my broader brand strategy and my marketing process? Your online brand is part of a bigger whole and should never be viewed as separate from your grand plan. • Is it measurable? Have I implemented ways to monitor whether my online touchpoints are working and who is connecting with my business on the web? • Is there a call to action? Am I cementing my online connections by generating a sale, getting a user's permission to talk to them or at least ensuring a repeat visit?

*There are, of course, a number of other important questions to consider, depending on the nature of your project. Good insights are priceless and mistakes are costly. Talk to an expert. You can start by mailing hello@engage.co.za © Engage Brandcraft CC

DEFINING YOUR BRAND TOUCHPOINTS While obvious touchpoints like business cards and letterheads are very important, they are… well… obvious. Below is the grid mentioned on page 11. We’ve filled in a couple of examples for you to get your creative brain started, building on our mini case study for Starch, the upmarket launderette that we spoke about previously (on pages 6 and 7). General Stationery/Printed items

Infrastructure

Pre-purchase

An unusual Email sign ature (for Starch, this wou ld be something very clean and minimalist – maybe just a couple of words)

The way in which you present the bill (for the Starch brand , this may be on a sta rched piece of linen)

The smell in your reception (ummm… starch?) Product/Service

Communications

Post-purchase A semi-personalised How-To guide

you use The vehicles drive in (Starch would vehicles white modern YS spotless) that are ALWA

Experience

Purchase

Series of limited-edit ion collectable items (for Starch: the annual Designer Hanger for example)

Online

your What you say in how follow-up calls and rch, you say it (for Sta very be y ma conversation and to structured, quick the point)

Your web-based customer satisfaction form (Starch would hav e one)

WARNING A NOTE ABOUT YOUR INTERNAL BRAND:

Be careful not to focus only on external touchpoints. Internal branding is also important, especially in service-driven companies. Can everyone in your company explain your brand essence and why customers should buy your product? Is responsibility properly and reasonably assigned? This is how authenticity is established. Your brand must live inside and out.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A BRAND PARTNER*: Crafting a truly effective brand requires specialist skills that few new businesses have access to in-house. In addition, branding objectives are often best identified and served from the outside. A fresh perspective can mean the difference between success and failure (remember that ‘outside’ is where your market is too!). For these and many other reasons, many companies look to expert firms to help them craft strong, engaging brands. Here are some tips on how to pick the right one:

u’re If yo for a ner, ing look fting part

at d-cra o us bran hat t gin not c craft? Be y h w d Bran ation at: e g a rs Eng o.za onve the c engage.c @ o ll e h

Wherever you’re headed, make sure your brand-building partner: • • • • •

Has a decent brand themselves (in this case, judge a book by its cover!) Listens to you and shows genuine interest in your business Has a track record of satisfied clients (and can prove it) Can offer a full suite of strategic, design, web and copywriting services Has developed brands in the past that you like, and that have worked well

If you already have a business and/or brand but you want to up your game:

If you are starting something new and you want a strong brand to begin with:

A good brand-crafting firm can bring you a much-needed fresh perspective and help take things to the next level. Just make sure that your chosen partner has good strategic skills on board and that they are sensitive to your values and your existing brand equity. Your partner needs to spend some time gaining a solid understanding of where you’ve been and where you’re coming from before they begin any creative work. They need to listen to you. The trick here is to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Bringing outside brand-crafting expertise on board is a wise move as you will be tapping into very valuable experience and skills from early on. Put to good use, this input can potentially deliver a very significant return on investment. A good branding firm will assist you in putting your best foot forward and help you avoid making costly mistakes. Avoid overly arrogant firms but look for small teams that are confidently down to earth. A good partner will define objectives with you and show you how they are meeting them. © Engage Brandcraft CC

GET YOURSELF A PROFESSIONAL,

CUSTOMISED AND

EFFECTIVE

BRAND *The only bad news is that this price excludes VAT. On the upside, it includes design of key stationery items, a holding page for your website and even your first pack of business cards. This deal is only valid for Small to medium sized South African companies, smart start-ups and NGOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who do good things. Terms and conditions apply. (www.iwantabrand.co.za/tcs)

00 9 , 9 R

M FRO

iwantabrand.co.za.