THE IMPORTANCE OF BRAND: IT’S GENIUS
Stephen Hawking is one of the greatest minds of our times, he invented gravity or black holes or something …
I was asked the other week “what’s the difference between brand and logo?”; like many words in the English language, brand and logo can be used interchangeably except when they can’t – eg modest and shy – I certainly don’t have a shy income OR house and home just ask Darryl Kerrigan
Stephen Hawking is a brand, everything about him is unique, especially his voice – did you know he has been able to change his voice for well over twenty years now, thanks to technology? But he knows, as well as the rest of us, that the voice is very much synonymous with him.
The dude’s in a wheel chair, has hardly lifted a finger for the last forty years, and still is an iconic symbol of smarts.
Any change in brand must be considered and earnest and if you do go down that path be prepared to offer an education around it.
Note: I’m sitting in front of my computer, half way through writing this article, I was about to speak about tone of voice and how it is related to brand just as much as a logo, and I just now realise how apt the example of Stephen Hawking actually is – anyway, back to the article…
…Tone of voice, in a marketing sense, refers to the language you use and how you use it to convey your message.
A financial planning institution might either choose to be empowering and aspirational with their tone of voice and use words like “the freedom to say Yes” or they could be rather forthright “Are you in a position to retire?” – These are both fine ways to approach the subject of financial planning but they are very distinct?
Visually your brand is more than just the logo it will inform your colour palette, it will influence font selection for your collateral and it should also guide the style of imagery used. Good branding is a crafted piece of communication that sets the tone for your business.
If you are a young business – also be wary of changing your brand too often. We regularly see businesses as they grow, change their branding because they think doing so will change the way customers see them.
There is no doubt that you should assess if the branding you have befits the message you are trying to convey to your customers, but be wary of changing for changes sake … although a change is as good as a holiday – lack of continuity can have a detrimental effect on your business. So if you’re conceiving your brand or considering a change think carefully.