The secret sauce behind a brands success

What differentiates a memorable brand to a forgettable one? You can stop reading here if you trust and believe – it’s branding.

Need more convincing? Oh, alright then, keep reading…

Let’s quickly reiterate that a logo does not make a brand. When a business engages with a brand strategist and designer to get them to develop a visual identity (logo, icon, submark) there is a tremendous amount of research and strategy that goes into the creation of the elements. The logo files are one tangible asset of a brand, some other tangible elements are the colour use, website, app, product, typography. These all become a part of a brand.

You see, a brand is so much more than what you see. Today, I want to discuss the intangible elements, not the things you can see but the things you can feel and why they are so valuable for business.  

Intangible branding effects can be:

Social status

Why luxury brands can have such a luxury price tag and seen as investment pieces that will only increase in value over the years.

Feeling of belonging

When a brands audience are a group of like-minded people, it creates community which helps supports each other and brings intangible value.

Shared values

When you choose to put your money behind brands that are giving back and choosing, for example: sustainability over fast fashion.

Sense of nostalgia

Why brands such as Johnsons & Johnsons continue to dominate. New parents trust and know this well established brand that was used by their parents.

A unique offering is important, but there has been many successful businesses that become leaders by offering a product already on the market. Think of the candle label Diptyque, they sell candles which isn’t a new product, nor a unique concept. You can pick up a similar quality candle at the same price point in a lot of places, so why does Diptyque have such a cult following? Why do people choose to buy from them? Why do people hold onto the empty vessels and store their makeup brushes in them?

It’s the branding.

Sure, Diptyque started their luxury perfume label back in 1961 in Paris but they started somewhere and have worked on building their brand and have kept it current and competitive over the decade. I really love this insight into their famous candle label, take a look at that here.

Seven Tips to Understand and Embody Your Brand’s Values

1. How do you want your audience to feel when they find your brand? Does your brand wish to embody sophistication, creativity, professionalism, sincerity or something else?
2. Get to know your customers. Find out what motivates your customers, what ticks them off, where they shop etc. Get to know them and see how your brand will help them.  
3. Remember the ‘why’. Why you started your business, why you felt compelled to create something for yourself. Your history is important for your audience who want to buy from a brand they feel they know.
4. Work on your values. Shared values is a major contributor to buyer motivation. People now more than ever are so aware of environmental impact of their consumer choices and will choose one that cares about giving back over others. 
5. Be current. Listen to your audience and grow with them as they surely will evolve. What works today won’t work in ten years time so it is imperative to check in and make sure you are keeping up.  
6. Don’t focus on the metrics. It’s easy to get lost in the analytics but it’s more important than ever to build an actual connection with your audience in an authentic, natural way. Focus on creating genuine conversations with your audience. 
7. Work on your tone. Your brands language can make or break the effectiveness of your marketing message. Developing the way you speak to your audience is critical.

Investing and continual improvement on every touch point your customers have with your business will develop intangible value for a strong brand.

Read more tips here on how to create a memorable brand here.