Branding is incredibly complex, yet it’s also incredibly fun. You are being honest about who you are, what you want to be, what you can do, who you serve and where you want to be in the future, all in one motion. Branding isn’t just deciding on a logo, a snappy slogan or a theme for your next product. It’s about a company culture that makes its way into everything single thing you do. From the way you do interviews with the media, to the kinds of products and services that you design; everything has to have that unique ‘you’ touch. You just know when an ad is going to be for McDonald’s or for BMW. You can tell by their lighting, music and choice of words. Getting branded is a rite of passage that you need to accomplish for your own business too.
Do the action
Nothing is going to push your brand further in people’s eyes, than action. Many companies say they are going to do their bit to help climate change, but the old way of doing things is not going to fly anymore. You can’t just say that you will give x-percentage of your earnings to charities. You actually have to make your mission, vision and values a part of who you are and how you do business. Adidas for example were one of the first companies to make a big change in that they use recycled plastic found in oceans and on beaches, in their high-performance footwear. They pledge that by 2025, 60% or more of their plastic will not be virgin plastic, so only recycled. Actions speak louder than words and quite frankly, if you want to stand out your words have to be secondary thoughts to your actions.
Make it visual
The best tool you have for your branding efforts is a video ad. Working with a video studio that has experience in branding ads or promotional videos is vital to making a good successful video that can put your brand in a can. By this we mean, it will be easily digestible, easy to remember, and memorable. It has to be comprehensive. Show who you are, where you work from, who you employ, your values, what products you make, why, and how you are improving society. All of this has to be done in a 60-second ad, so people watching can understand what your business is about, in a timescale that is tolerable to the average attention span to advertisements.
Stick with it
Once you choose a path for your brand, you should stick with it unless something is really wrong. Large corporations have stuck to their branding for decades. Adidas with the white and black color scheme, Apple with it’s chrome logo and ease of use appeal, Ford with it’s affordable family and utility theme, etc. Your brand will be established once it has stayed the same for a few years, so don’t go tweaking it every other year.
Every business has to undergo branding before it can become a household name. It’s like a rite of passage that isn’t just a necessity but an enjoyable experience of storytelling.