By Alan Wallner, W Creative
Branding is the sum of all experiences your customers have with your company. These experiences create the perceptions that determine your customer’s next decision. Your ability to make what you do distinctive, relevant, and consistent is what creates your brand.
Think of Your Brand as DNA
Simply stated, DNA is the genetic code used in the development and function of all living organisms. A strong brand also has a code, specifically, your vision and values. These visions and values (your brand code) help to develop and build your business.
Does everyone in your organization know your brand code? Share your brand vision, its essence, promise, positioning, personality, and values with all employees and company stakeholders.
Weave your brand code into everything you do, and it will drive every part of your business.
Your brand is:
- The source of a relationship
- The source of a promise to a customer
- The uniqueness of your products and services
- The perception that you own inside the mind of your customer
- The sum total of every experience associated with your company
With your brand code, you’ll build a distinctive difference that is relevant to your customers, and most importantly deliver your brand experiences consistently.
Brand Terminology
Here are some definitions to help guide you through the complexities of branding:
- Brand associations: anything a customer associates with your brand in their mind.
- Brand equity: the value of all associations and expectations (positive and negative) people have with your company and its products and services over time.
- Brand essence: the heart and soul of your brand.
- Brand identity: the combination of visual, auditory, and other sensory components that create recognition, represent your brand promise, provide differentiation, create communication synergy, and are proprietary.
- Brand image: the perceptions resulting from all experiences with and knowledge of your brand. It is how your customers and prospects perceive your brand.
- Brand personality: the adjectives that describe your brand.
- Brand positioning: the way your brand is perceived within a given competitive set in your customer’s mind.
- Brand promise: the positioning of your company in the market. Your brand must promise benefits that are distinctively different, relevant, and compelling to your customer.
Alan Wallner is founder of W Creative, a brand design company. W Creative helps companies unleash their full brand potential to attract customers.
Branding to a company is as important as air is to humans—without it you cannot survive.
Be Remarkable!
