The power of branding: for everyone

The very nature of business demands we are all familiar with brands, but what are they? What are brands actually capable of? And in what ways can an effective brand benefit a business?

What is a brand? A brand is much more than just a logo. Aside from a logo or trademark, a brand is a tone of voice, a method of work, a visual identity and an ethos. It stands for the tangible aspects of the company, the product they create or the service they provide and the less tangible aspects – the ethos, aspirations and heritage of the company. A strong brand unifies every aspect of a company into a single cohesive, recognisable and, above all, memorable entity. Visually, a brand covers more conventional applications, found across a range of printed products, signage, advertising, packaging, digital applications and the product itself. But branding also applies to how an employee answers the phone, the way in which the company is managed, and where its offices are located.

A brand is an essential part of any business, large or small, regardless of the industry in question. It represents the culture of a business, the way in which a company works, what makes them truly unique.

What can a brand do for you? There truly are no limits to a successful brand. Regardless of the size of a company, from sole trader to corporate multinational, an effective brand can be a useful tool in generating and, crucially, sustaining business. A brand offers more than the product or service on sale; a brand offers existing and potential customers meaning, a helping hand in making the decision between one company and another offering a similar service.Having a cohesive brand identity allows you to increase company recognition, more closely associate yourself with the service or product you provide, and more readily be chosen by potential clients.

In the short term, a brand can help you stand out in a crowded market place, offering an introduction to customers. In the long term, a brand can unify the focus of your company, provide stability, encourage loyalty and act as a basis for future growth.

What have brands done for others? An effective brand is a powerful asset to businesses, provoking instant recognition of the service or product in question. In 1982, Nike, one of the world’s most successful brands, launched the Air Force One, one of the world’s best selling sneakers. So far, so normal. But Nike managed to do this without spending any money on conventionally advertising the shoe. Instead, they relied on a highly recognisable brand identity, celebrity endorsement and a quality product. Both brand and shoe have been embraced by generations and, though the basic silhouette of the Air Force One has remained largely unchanged, it is hugely popular to this day. As far as a return on their investment in branding is concerned, the Air Force One is estimated to earn Nike in excess of $800 million a year worldwide.

Apple is the world’s most powerful brand, with fortunes in excess of $80 billion (incidentally, that’s more money than the US Government). Though perhaps an obvious example, Apple has created a brilliantly rigorous example of a strong brand identity, attached to all the products they create. While a vast number of customers buy from Apple based on the quality and functionality of their products, many more buy into the appearance and aspirational nature of the brand. It is the very ethos of the company that many seek to purchase. Such is the power of the Apple brand that hundreds of impersonations have appeared, and not just in the field of consumer electronics. iChoc anyone?

The power of branding isn’t exclusive to global companies Closer to home, Sportspark, the East of England’s premier sports complex, benefits from a highly recognisable brand identity. An engaging and flexible identity helps Sportspark to attract new customers and retain existing users. The brand identity informs all Sportspark communications – it leads the advertising campaign and is at the very heart of each key message.

With the Olympic games imminent, the membership Sportscards become medals, denoting the three levels of benefit and ensuring Sportspark is synonymous with a headline-grabbing event. Clean graffiti was used to launch the brand and made local news, gaining further exposure for Sportspark. Around the complex, staff uniforms, interior and exterior signage and printed literature all carry the Sportspark brand, creating a cohesive visual identity across all consumer touchpoints. As a result of this investment in creating and promoting a strong and considered brand identity, Sportspark has seen an increase in new memberships and overall income at a time when the overall sports and leisure industry contracted.

The Sportspark brand communications was shortlisted as one of the UK’s best marketing campaigns in 2011 at the prestigious Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Marketing Excellence Awards. This is testament that successful and effective brand identities aren’t only for the big boys.

In short, an effective brand can be a great asset to a business. A logo that makes people think, a friendly and professional voice on the other end of the telephone, even the tactile paper on which a letter is printed contributes to the success of a brand and, as a result, to the success of a company or organisation.

Bobby Burrage is a Norfolk Chamber board member and creative director at a leading branding agency in the East of England. Bobby works with a diverse range of clients, from entrepreneurial start-ups to established multi-national organisations, across a range of sectors.