Now, more than ever, businesses must originate and nurture a unique DNA for an enduring brand image and identity.

 

Branding is the process for creating an emotional connection for audiences to its business through a Brand Image formed from a Brand Identity.  Branding works to distinguish a business from its competition.  It develops audience perspectives that have meaning and relevance for the brand, perceptions for audience like and belief, and preferences for audience trust and loyalty.

 

Accordingly, branding creates awareness and presence, recognition and differentiation, credibility and reputation for the business.  What’s more, it creates audience association and connection to the brand, trust and loyalty, advocacy and support.  Ultimately, optimal branding, that is branding that is positive, powerful, and productive, contributes to the sales and market share of a business, its revenues and profit, development and growth.

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Four Communication Principles

Branding that delivers these optimal results demands the communication principles of clarity, distinction, dynamics, and integrity for audience comprehension and understanding.  Clarity of message contributes to audience awareness and recognition.  Message distinction contributes to differentiation and reputation while message dynamics contributes to connection and association.  And lastly, integrity contributes to the brand’s quality, credibility, and trust.

 

With clarity, distinction, dynamics, and integrity, branding communicates who the business says it is, what it says they do, how they do it, why they do it, and for whom they do it.

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The Branding Process

Generally speaking, branding is a four-step process.  It is a logical and incremental operation that begins with the business defining and describing the essence of its brand in the first stage.  From there, the process advances with the business originating and establishing the visual and verbal message units of the brand, in the second stage, as an identity system.  Together, Brand Essence and Brand Identity create possibilities of business.

 

In the third stage, the process continues as expression and application of the identity system with the business communicating, creating, and relating to its audiences, at all touchpoints, along the entire brand experience, for meeting and exceeding audience expectations.  The intention of this stage is to influence and inspire image perceptions and brand preferences, the fourth stage of the branding process, by satisfying and delighting audiences and giving rise to their trust and loyalty.  Brand Expression and Brand Image create opportunities for business.  Collectively, the four stages of the branding process initiate “possibilities of” and “opportunities for” business.

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Brand Essence and Identity

Brand Essence is defined and described by the business before creating the identity system.  It includes brand nomenclature, (the brand name and generic descriptor), brand vision (a forward-looking, aspirational purpose statement), and brand mission (a statement of goals and activities that fulfill its vision).  Brand Essence also includes descriptions of the business’s expertise, principles of operation, and culture (its values, beliefs, and personification).  Lastly, Brand Essence includes a statement of brand positioning (a unique selling proposition as an internal statement), a value proposition (the audience's reasons, benefits, and delivered value for the brand as an external statement), and brand associations (the emotional and intellectual connections audiences are expected to make from their brand experiences).

 

Brand Identity are the visual and verbal message units of the brand.  It includes brand logos, symbols, and logotype as well as brand language (the sub-brands, taglines, positioning statement, value proposition, and other core messaging) and its brand personality.  Brand Identity originates and establishes a brandscape; that is, the brand’s color palette, typography, graphic devices, and grid system plus the brand’s motion graphics, video, audio, and brand sounds.  In addition, Brand Identity is developed with an understanding of its applications in media, environment, and architecture as well as its applications to products, programs, services, technologies, support, and the  staff.  The Brand Identity system also includes the rules, regulations, recommendations, guidelines, and governance for the application and expression of branding along with the requirement for its continuous quality improvement.

 

Brand Expression and Image

Brand Expression involves the communication and application of its identity with audiences.  Brand Expression is how the business creates the brand for and relates the brand to its consumers, competition, constituency, and communities, at every touchpoint, across the entire brand experience, from introductions and interactions to moments of truth and transaction.  Brand Expression are also matters of how the business serves and supports; how the business meets and exceeds expectations; and how the business satisfies and delights.

 

Brand Image are audience perspectives, perceptions, and preferences (the opinions, judgements, feelings, beliefs, and choices of consumers) originating in touchpoints along their brand experience.  Simply put, Brand Image is a collection of the brand’s reputation and character, stature and respect, quality and value, influencing consumer trust and loyalty, advocacy and support.  Ultimately, Brand Image contributes to the business’s sales and market share, revenues and profit, development and growth, the whole reason for branding all business.

 

For more information, visit the Portfolio Section of this website.​​