What does Branding mean? What is a Brand? And how can i build a Brand in the right way?
These are some questions you might ask as a business owner.
In this article we will discuss about Branding and it's three levels, and the correct way to build a Brand.
But first, we need to know what a Brand is.
I- What is a Brand?
Simply put, a Brand is ANYTHING that distinguishes a company, a product, or a person from the others, it can be a logo, a symbole, a word, a caracter, a sound...etc.
It's what makes you different.
Marketing, in general, is based on the 4Ps or what known as Marketing Mix (product, price, place, and promotion). But where is the Brand in it?!
Well, the Brand is an element of all of that together, and also, an element of the Marketing strategie, specially, positioning and segmentation.
The Brand is composed of Three levels or layers, and those are: Brand core identity, Brand visual identity, and Brand communication.
II- The Three layers of a Brand
1- Brand Core Identity:
The core identity of a brand is intangible (untouchable and not visual), and is THE heart of the brand, the DNA of the brand, or what they say the "MANTRA" of the brand.
Quick Tip: most people confuse the core identity with visual identity. But note that to make a brand you start with the core identity, then do the visual identity.
The core identity is composed of three elements:
- Brand Values:
- Brand Positioning:
consumers perception of your brand.
- Brand Promesse:
what your brand promesse the consumers.
Those elements comes from your consumers, after doing an analysis about their preferences, their needs, and their expectations. And of course it needs to be compatible with the mission, vision and objectives of your company.
2- Brand Visual Identity:
Contrary to the core identity, the visual identity is the tangible and the visual part of your brand, and it is also composed of three elements:
- Visual:
anything that is visual about your brand (logos, slogans, shapes, fonts, imagery), a live example of it is Apples Logo or Pixars name.
- Sensory:
anything related to the 5 senses like, lights, scents, tastes, and sounds. The sound of NETFLIX for example or the taste of Coca Cola.
- Behavioral:
behaviors and psychologies that you want to deliver to your consumers (i.e The thought of owining a Mercedes Benz or Bently).
Now, after choosing your core and visual identities of your brand, you'll need to do the Brand Communication.
3- Brand Communication:
It is the third and last level of Branding, and it's the most important one. Brand communication is where you let your customers know about your brand, by using offline Marketing (television publicity, flyers ...etc), online Marketing (social media, content, videos ...etc), and Public Relations (PR).
Your Brand Communication needs to be tailored to your brand Core and visual identies. For example, If you are doing a branding of a luxurious and elegant product/service, your brand communication needs to be also elegant and chic, and vice versa.