Beyond The Logo: How to Build a Standout Brand
What is Branding? The Heart of Your Business
When people hear the word brand, they often imagine a logo. The best logos are instantly recognisable, sparking recognition, evoking a vision of the brand and what they do. That is why logos are so effective; their memorability. However, a logo is just the tip of your branding iceberg. The real strength of a brand comes from what lies behind your attractive, streamlined logo. Whether it be the brand strategy, the slogan, the storytelling or the brand values, these decisions all impact how consumers perceive and interact with a company.
From SME who are eager to grow, to large businesses who are looking to capture a global audience, branding is absolutely critical. A strong brand doesn’t just look good on the surface; it builds a solid foundation for the company to succeed upon by nurturing customer loyalty, connection and recognition. To learn more about branding, download our ultimate guide
Looking Beyond the Surface
In order to build a successful, established brand, a company must focus on looking beyond the logo. This blog will delve into many different aspects of a brand identity. The logo is an identifier, a signpost for your company. However, no matter how successful your branding is, it is your logo is that your customer base will attach to that identifier.
Think of your logo as a swan. Beautiful, elegant and easily recognisable. However, under the surface, your brand positioning, font, tone of voice, branding colours, etc, are doing all the work to keep your brand afloat.
What Really Defines a Brand:
Customer Perception Manufacturing - Customer perceptions are vital to branding. It is often regarded that the perceived value of products and services can often exceed 2x, 3x or even 20x the objective value. Positive, consistent experiences with a brand are powerful. Alternatively, the opposite is also true, where negative experiences can be detrimental to brand reputation and loyalty.
Company Values - Brand value statements, when authentic and backed by genuine action, can significantly influence how customers perceive a company and its offerings. Brands that promote and take action on those values, such as sustainability for example, build trust and customer loyalty that supersedes price or product face value.
Brand Voice - This relates to the language, tone and personality your brand adopts in its marketing. Whether the brand is authoritative, innovative or playful, the voice a brand uses shapes how consumers connect and consequently perceive the company. A consistent, strong brand voice that tells a complete story that resonates with consumers will help to differentiate you from the competition. Learn more about how to develop a successful brand voice by reading our full article.
Positioning/ USP - Positioning is all about where your brand stands compared to the competition in your market. What makes you identifiable, memorable or even unique? This is how a brand justifies to customers as to why they should purchase from them and not their competitor.
Brand Storytelling - Corporate identity and branding are heavily influenced by a simple strategy. Corporate storytelling or B2B storytelling is the process of crafting narratives and explaining not just what you do, but also why you do it. Sharing these stories can create strong relatability between consumer and brand, maximising connection, trust and cultivating loyal customers. Read our full blog on how you can elevate your brand with the power of storytelling.
Real World Examples: Branding Done Right
Customer Perception - Airbnb
One rebranding example that maximised positive customer perception is Airbnb’s logo transformation. Moving away from their simple 2008 workmark logo, they changed their entire identity with the introduction of the ‘Belo’ logo. Boasting a coral colour scheme with more sophisticated brand messaging, completely altered public perception. As well as a new branding, the company also altered its messaging through advertising.
Rather than just a booking platform, Airbnb transformed into a trusted company connecting customers with ‘homes’ all over the world. For consumers, this new brand identity made the Airbnb experience feel more human, memorable and emotionally resonant. This fostered a greater positive brand image, strengthened loyalty, with Airbnb acting as a community movement, rather than just a faceless booking service.
Company Values - Patagonia
Patagonia rolled out a campaign based on social justice and positive political messaging in their “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign. This saw their clothing items being labelled with an anti-consumption message, warning of the large impacts of climate change and how the fashion industry plays its role in the issue.
You may think, how could this benefit Patagonia? By encouraging its loyal customers to reduce their consumption of its products, Patagonia sales rose by 30%, partly attributable to the positive image gained following this campaign, signalling their care for corporate social responsibility.
Storytelling - John Lewis
John Lewis, who are renowned for its narrative-driven Christmas campaigns, used storytelling to promote its brand image extensively. Most people can remember at least one John Lewis advert.
One that immediately stands out is their ‘Gifts you can’t wait to give’ advert. This showed a child counting down the days until Christmas, with the audience expecting his excitement was for receiving presents. However, on Christmas Day it is revealed the child cared only for giving the presents he bought from John Lewis. This vivid storytelling is hard to forget, showcasing themselves as a brand that cares more about experiences and human connections instead of just sales.
Expert Tips for Branding Success
Maintain Consistency
Without consistency, branding means nothing. One of the reasons companies such as Coca-Cola are so memorable is because their logo has been seen all over the world in the exact same format, generally unchanged since its 1800s version.
Digital Presence
Once you have decided your brand values, voice, positioning and stories to tell, they need to now be heard. Regardless of company size and resources, all channels should be adopted to maximise success. For example, social media platforms, up-to-date websites and marketing materials. This allows for optimal target market reach, especially in popular industries, sharing your new branding with the world.
Internal Alignment
Encourage all aspects of the company to adopt the initiatives set out. This allows for such consistency to endure, further establishing your branding and solidifying your branding with your customer base.
Why This Matters for Small to Medium-Sized Businesses
For SME companies, these branding components can often be ignored due to a lack of resources. However, the companies that don’t adopt this approach are limiting their revenue as branding fuels sales, not the other way around. Unlocking these strategies can lead to growth that cannot be ignored. Even businesses with smaller budgets can achieve big wins by focusing on crafting their brand image and connecting with their customers.
A logo is a signpost, not a brand in its whole form. The real power of branding is when all the components that make up branding are leveraged to achieve something great. When all of the elements above are utilised and aligned, your brand becomes more than just a visual; it becomes a symbol of connection and loyalty.
Brand Development Services
At Livewire Marketing, we help businesses look behind the logo to uncover strategies that make brands truly unforgettable. Looking to level up your brand? Get in touch with our team to book a free consultation and to discuss how Livewire can help take your company’s branding to the next level with logo and brand design services and digital marketing packages.
