Branding is an essential strategy when you want different audiences to associate a business with its values and objectives, through elements such as identity, product and brand experience. Read on to find out what it is all about.
Any business wants brand recognition, a better strategic dimension and an increased level of market positioning, as well as promoting and improving communication with its customers. All of this is possible through branding and its elements , such as identity, product and brand experience.
As defined by the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, in the world of Marketing, the word brand is a “sign that can be represented graphically and that serves to distinguish the products or services of one company from those of others in the market.” This is how the path of branding begins .
What is branding ?
Talking about branding means thinking about how a brand can be built and the entire process involved. In principle, it is about the strategy that allows you to manage everything related to the name and logo of any business . But it goes further because it allows you to build an image that helps define commercial growth .
Graphic designer and branding consultant Matthew Healey explains in his book What is Branding? (2009) that it is “the process of systematically matching a purpose-built symbolic identity with key concepts, with the aim of raising expectations and then fulfilling them.”
For his part, in the section Most brands are more concerned with not failing than innovating , on the website of Andy Stalman , known as Mr. Branding , he explains that building a brand is looking for “effective and current ways of establishing identity, appealing to the connection with consumers with a wide variety of visual tools and the other five senses as well (hearing, touch, taste, smell), even technology.”
Branding is also directly linked to people and the emotional connection between the brand and its customers . When this relationship is used, the business can differentiate itself from the competition and gain more loyal customers, who can identify and associate themselves with the values that characterize the brand.
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Elements of branding
The main purpose of branding is to maximize the values of a brand, which have to do with its uniqueness and credibility in order to differentiate itself in the market. To achieve this, it is necessary to interrelate the following elements that respond to the identity, the product and the brand experience:
Identity
The brand's characteristics, values and beliefs are merged to humanize it. This is part of the purpose of the identity that represents what it is, what it does and how it does it. With this, it can generate a real connection with customers.
Name
This is the main pillar of a brand's identity and represents a cpa email lists competitive advantage. Therefore, the name must evoke the brand's values, as well as being legible, easy to pronounce, memorable, notable, unique and registrable.
Logo
This is a symbol or element of visual identity that allows brands to be easily recognized, graphically reflecting their values. It must have the ability to be remembered and identified without the need for the name to accompany it.
Colors
Colors serve to give personality to the brand. This requires an exhaustive study, since each color is associated with an emotion, so choosing the most suitable ones serves to distinguish and give the brand the strength it needs.
Slogan
It is a phrase that concentrates the purpose that the brand has defined, with the aim of making customers feel affinity with what it represents. It must be contagious, impactful, significant and long-lasting.
Sound
It is also known as audio branding and has to do with the brand identity represented by particular musical melodies, which can feature voices and other sounds that are easy to remember and hum, such as jingles.
Typography
Typography or font is also related to emotions. It serves to convey the personality and values of any brand. There is the primary typography that is used in the logo and the secondary typography that is used in other types of communications.
Product
Distinctive features, in addition to the visual aspect, such as quality, design, taste, texture and packaging, are part of the product that the brand represents. These elements serve to ensure that customers have a satisfactory experience.
Brand experience
It has to do with customer service, including the shopping experience, customer service and even after-sales. It is the key to whether customers want to buy, have no problem paying the right price and want to buy again.