In essence, the Brand of a company is its personality. Consumers either relate to it or they do not in terms of does it mesh with their personal views, lifestyle, opinions and so forth. Companies that are branded for life hope to be branded for your life. The goal of developing a Brand is to attract other like-minded individuals to bond with your Brand personality in such a way that they become a part of the Brand itself. They become spokespeople for the Brand to friends and family and become so committed to a Brand that they will not consider purchasing from another company whether it be a product or service.
Apple Computers is a perfect example of a strong Brand. Apple consumers are so strongly associated with the Apple persona they have become Brand zealots. They can’t wait for the next big thing from Apple to hit the market. they will wait in line to get their new iPhone in the malls until midnight and they will not even consider another similar product because it does not carry the Apple logo, even if the product is less expensive or better. These followers of the Brand are dedicated to promoting and purchasing the Apple product line because they have bought into the Brand personality that Apple has so meticulously crafted.
Our goal is to help our clients define who they are and what their Brand personality is. Once defined, we need to distill this Brand into a Brand Positioning statement. This will become the guiding force for all forms of communication to all that come in contact with the Brand. This includes the design of all marketing materials, packaging, point of purchase, web site, social media touch-point and so forth. It does not stop at just the visual aspect of a Brand however, as the messaging from a company is also critical. What is the “voice” of this personality? Is it soft, harsh, endearing or just fun? It becomes the way a Brand “speaks” to its audience and how the consumer relates to this message.