Some ways to build ‘Brand Identity’.

What comes to our minds when we say the word ‘Brand’?, maybe it is our favorites like Nike, Starbucks, Gucci. Now, that is exactly what brand identity stands for. What does the customer remember about your brand? How does he or she perceive your brand? All such answers lead to building a brand identity, collective  image in the customer’s mind. Let us take an example of India’s most loved Honda Activa, it has gone  to become an extension of the common man in India. Brand Honda has created an idea that their vehicles are easily accessible, pocket friendly and universal in nature( man/woman/seniorcitizens can ride it, people from all economic stratas of the society can buy it). These values are even reflected in their ad campaigns like ‘Dekho yeh Zamaana’.   Unlike, some two wheeler brands in India (for example : kTM) , that are perceived to be male, luxury and youth centric brands mostly. Although, perceptions change from person to person based on his/her tastes and preferences; brand visuals, tone, language, message, advertisements etc largely govern and influence the way we see things. Therefore, building an unique and original brand identity becomes imperative in order to stand out amongst the sea of companies offering different products and services. 

Sticking to slightly cliched, old is gold, quote “Rome was not built in a day” , likewise no brand was ever built in a single day. The brands that we see around us probably had different logo, a boring typography etc before they became what they are now, it is a result of exploring, experimenting, changing aspects according to market trends, customer feedbacks and alot more than just a logo, tagline, or a mere thirty second advertisement. 

Liking the essay so far? Get ready, as I take you through some steps for building brands, case studies and much more that goes on into making brands accessible , memorable and trustworthy to the consumer. 

Over the surface, brand identity can appear to be just the visuals, design, videos yet it is much more than that and requires strategic planning, meticulous execution and people with a variety of skill sets. 

1. Define the purpose. 

Firstly, defining a brand is an important step. Defining a brand involves establishing a clear and distinctive identity for a product, service, or company. It encompasses the values, personality, and unique characteristics that set it apart from competitors and create a lasting impression in the minds of consumers.The purpose of a brand is multi-faceted, encompassing various strategic and emotional objectives. One primary purpose of a brand is differentiation. In a crowded marketplace, a brand helps distinguish a business from its competitors by highlighting its unique qualities, attributes, and benefits. It establishes a distinct positioning that sets it apart and creates a competitive advantage. By communicating its unique value proposition, a brand enables consumers to make informed choices and fosters brand loyalty.

Moreover, a brand serves as a powerful communication tool. It encapsulates the company’s mission, vision, and values, effectively conveying its story and purpose to the target audience. It creates an emotional connection with consumers, evoking feelings, attitudes, and associations that shape their perceptions and attitudes towards the brand.

2. Understanding Target Audiences. 

Secondly, knowing the target audience properly assists in building a better and relevant image. Hence, a thorough understanding of what the audience wants, which type of audience, how many consumers and such related questions lead to target audience analysis. Identifying target audiences for a brand is a crucial step in developing effective marketing strategies and communication plans. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to identify target audiences: 

1. Conduct Market Research: Start by gathering data and insights about the market in which your brand operates. This includes demographic information, psychographic characteristics, consumer behaviors, and preferences. Market research tools like surveys, interviews, and focus groups can help in collecting valuable data. Ex: Starbucks India conducted market research to understand consumer coffee preferences, lifestyles, and behaviors. They gathered data on demographics, income levels, and beverage consumption habits.It introduced Filter coffee, masala chai at affordable prices only for Indian consumers. 

                                                                   Credits: Indian Express 

2. Segment the Market: Divide the broader market into distinct segments based on shared characteristics, needs, or behaviors. This segmentation allows for more targeted messaging and customized marketing efforts.Ex:Nike segmented the market based on various factors, including age, activity level, and sport preferences, to tailor their marketing efforts accordingly. They target segments like runners, basketball players, and soccer enthusiasts.

3. Create Buyer Personas: Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers, known as buyer personas. These personas represent fictional individuals who embody the characteristics of your target audience segments. Starbucks created buyer personas such as “Coffee Lover Emily,” a millennial professional who values convenience and quality coffee, and “Social Connector John,” a college student who uses Starbucks as a meeting place.
4. Evaluate Competitors: Analyze your competitors’ target audiences to identify any gaps or opportunities in the market. Understanding how competitors position themselves and whom they target can help refine your own target audience.Example: A fashion brand discovers that while competitors focus on women’s clothing, there is an underserved market of stylish and sustainable men’s fashion, presenting an opportunity to target fashion-forward men.

3.  Develop a brand Personality. 

Thirdly, developing a brand and voice personality is imperative and perhaps, the most crucial part in linking consumers to your brand. Developing a brand voice and personality involves defining a consistent tone, style, and language that align with the brand’s values and target audience. It encompasses crafting a distinct identity that sets the brand apart, whether it be playful, authoritative, empathetic, or innovative. It involves considering the brand’s messaging, communication channels, and customer interactions to ensure a cohesive and authentic representation. 

Let us take the example of Zomato to understand this better. 

Zomato has successfully crafted a distinctive brand voice and personality that resonates with its target audience. Zomato developed a brand voice that combines a sense of enthusiasm, expertise, and authenticity. They adopted a friendly and conversational tone, using casual language, food-related puns, and relatable expressions. This voice allowed them to engage with their audience as a trusted friend, offering recommendations and insights. Whether it is their Facebook creatives or simple posts, the brand surely knows how to make people talk. (Patel)

Zomato introduced a social media campaign  ‘Prime Time Yummies’ as an ode to Pop Culture TV shows which created quite a buzz with its apt timing,creativity and humor. 

4. Design a strong visual identity. 

Fourthly, having an original, unique and distinct brand logo  helps to differentiate, recognize, and create an emotional connection with consumers. It plays a crucial role in building brand recall, consistency, and association, contributing to the overall brand perception and success.

1. Visual Representation: A brand logo serves as a visual representation of a brand. It is often the first point of contact for consumers and plays a significant role in creating a memorable and recognizable image. A well-designed logo can convey the brand’s essence, values, and personality, helping to establish an immediate connection with the target audience. Example: FedEx: The FedEx logo cleverly incorporates a hidden arrow within the negative space between the letters “E” and “X.” This hidden element represents speed, efficiency, and precision, aligning with the brand’s core values.

2.  Consistency and Cohesion: A brand logo serves as a consistent visual element across various brand touchpoints, such as packaging, advertising, website, and social media. By using the logo consistently, a brand can maintain a cohesive and unified identity, reinforcing its presence and building trust among consumers. Example:

Google logo is seen everywhere: 

• Search Engine: The Google logo is displayed prominently on the search engine’s homepage.
• Apps and Services: The logo is visible within various Google apps, such as Gmail, Maps, and YouTube.
• Online Advertising: The logo appears on digital banner ads and promotional materials across the web.
• Developer Platforms: The logo is utilized in documentation, APIs, and branding for Google’s developer platforms.

3. Emotional Connection: A well-designed logo has the potential to evoke emotions and establish an emotional connection with consumers. Through its design elements, colors, and typography, a logo can convey the brand’s personality, values, and aspirations, allowing consumers to connect on a deeper level and form an emotional bond with the brand. 

For example, Amazon: The Amazon logo incorporates an arrow that starts from the letter “a” and ends at the letter “z.” This design element conveys a sense of delight, excitement, and the brand’s commitment to providing a wide range of products and services from A Z. 

4.  Brand Recall and Association: A memorable logo aids in brand recall and association. A strong logo creates a visual link to the brand’s products, services, and experiences. For example : The golden arches logo has become ingrained in popular culture, making it synonymous with McDonald’s and its offerings. It triggers immediate recall and association with the brand, reminding people of their experiences at McDonald’s restaurants, the taste of their favorite meals, and the overall McDonald’s experience.The logo is a visual representation of the brand’s fast-food restaurants and their iconic golden fries. The “M” shape is instantly recognizable, even without the brand name accompanying it. It has been consistently used across various touchpoints, including signage, packaging, advertising, and digital platforms.

5. Craft a compelling Brand Story 

Fifthly, a brand story acts as a guiding narrative that shapes and reinforces brand identity. By effectively communicating the brand’s values, differentiating it from competitors, and forging an emotional connection with customers, the brand story plays a vital role in establishing and strengthening the brand’s identity in the minds of consumers.

Let’s take an example of our homegrown brand, AMUL to understand this better. We all know the story of Dr Anand Kurien and the infamous Milk revolution in India that came along with him. The brand story of Amul began in 1946 when the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited (now known as Amul) was formed to empower milk producers and combat exploitation by middlemen. The brand’s mission was to create a sustainable model that would benefit farmers and provide high-quality dairy products to consumers. Amul’s distinct brand story, built on principles of cooperative development, social impact, and clever marketing, has contributed to its strong brand image in India. The brand’s commitment to farmers, its iconic advertising campaigns, and its focus on quality and affordability have made Amul a household name and a symbol of trust in the dairy industry. 

Somehow, knowing the founders and their stories conveys a sense of connectivity and relatability among the audiences. For instance, after I got to know about Lenskart’s founder Peyush Bansal’s efforts in combating blindness and vision related issues by starting a company that manufactured spectacles, I felt a sense of loyalty towards the brand even more. A lenskart logo anywhere on the road, takes me back to the exact moment when he elaborated the issue. Humanizing the brand is as important as making it one, because we cannot take the technology granted to evoke emotions anyday! Shark Tank India boosted revenues of companies by small margins and established the founders to be extensions of the brands themselves. So, the founding story, personnel also create a strong sense of brand experience, image and identity. 

6. Establish Brand Guidelines

Brand guidelines provide a roadmap for presenting your brand consistently, professionally, and memorably. They help create a strong brand identity that resonates with your audience, fosters recognition, and builds trust over time. 

Case study of brand Netflix to understand how brand guidelines form a collective force to deliver better user experience is illustrated below:

1. Consistent Logo and Icon: Netflix’s brand guidelines emphasize the consistent usage of its logo and icon. The iconic stacked “N” logo, known as the “Netflix wordmark,” is an integral part of the brand’s identity. The guidelines outline specifications for sizing, spacing, and color usage, ensuring that the logo is presented consistently across various platforms and marketing materials. This consistency has helped establish immediate brand recognition and reinforce Netflix’s identity as a leading streaming service.
2. Distinctive Brand Colors: Netflix’s brand guidelines define a specific color palette that includes Netflix Red as the primary brand color. The guidelines outline color usage guidelines, such as ensuring sufficient contrast for legibility and specifying color combinations for various applications. Consistently using the brand colors helps create a strong visual identity and reinforces the association of those colors with the Netflix brand.
3. Content Thumbnails and Imagery: Netflix’s brand guidelines extend to its content thumbnails and imagery. The guidelines provide specifications for aspect ratios, image quality, and composition guidelines to ensure consistent and visually appealing representations of its content across devices and platforms. This attention to detail maintains a cohesive visual experience for users, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to quality and professionalism.

4. Tone of Voice and Messaging: Netflix’s brand guidelines outline the brand’s tone of voice and messaging guidelines. They provide direction on how to communicate with audiences, incorporating a friendly and conversational tone while maintaining professionalism. These guidelines ensure that the brand’s communication aligns with its positioning and resonates with its target audience, whether it’s in marketing materials, social media content, or customer support interactions.

5. User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Guidelines: Netflix’s brand guidelines also extend to its user interface and user experience design. The guidelines provide standards for UI elements, typography, layout, and interaction patterns. Consistency in UI/UX design across different devices and platforms enhances the user experience, making it easier for users to navigate and engage with the streaming service seamlessly.

By establishing comprehensive brand guidelines, Netflix has created a consistent and compelling brand experience for its users. The guidelines ensure that every touchpoint reflects the brand’s identity, values, and commitment to quality. This consistency has helped Netflix build a strong and recognizable brand that is associated with premium streaming content and an enjoyable user experience.

7. Engage with your audiences 

Engaging with your audience helps in building a strong brand identity by fostering loyalty, creating brand advocates, gaining insights, humanizing your brand, generating UGC, and adapting to changing market dynamics. It is an ongoing process that helps you build meaningful relationships and maintain a positive brand image.

Right now, social media engagement and campaigns are a different ball game altogether! Here are some of the ways to increase social media engagement along with examples to understand better: 

1. Put your followers up for a challenge and make it into a competition or campaign. 

This surely works in favor of the company especially, if at the end of the contest, they are rewarded with gifts,vouchers,subscriptions etc. 

Example: Mercedes wanted to reach out to the younger audience so they hired five top Instagram photographers to each take the wheel of a new Mercedes CLA. Whoever got the most likes got to keep the car – so they all really worked at it!

By the end of the campaign, Mercedes has received:

• 87,000,000 organic Instagram impressions
• 2,000,000 Instagram likes
• 150 new marketing assets (stunning photos)

2. Knowing audiences is the only way one engages with them efficiently. To elucidate, let us take the example of ‘Dove’, as it has me crying on most of the days and raising important questions at the same time:

Dove did some research and found that 80 percent of women came across negative chatter on social media. Dove’s goal was to change that and make social media a more positive experience. As a result, Dove teamed up with Twitter and built a tool to launch the #SpeakBeautiful Effect, that breaks down which body- related words people use the most and when negative chatter appears during the day.

According to Dove, women were inspired by their message.

• #SpeakBeautiful was used more than 168,000 times. 
• Drove 5 million social media impressions of the campaign. 

3. Being creative and fun with the brand helps a lot in differentiating the brand from other brands. Creativity obviously does not come with a set of guidelines or a rulebook but surely can be experimented over the time. Example: IKEA is known to use its social media very creatively be it the instagram posts or tweets. Their design team plays a huge role in this engagement, as it looks very effortless but the most simplistic, minimal text and design require smartness, creativity, a sense of humor and timing.  (Chittenden)  
4. Timely curation of posts 

As one has access to social media and the feeds keep refreshing every minute or so, there is an alarming  need to stay relevant with days, occasions, trending news, pop culture. Employing creativity, design and smart copywriting can do wonders as virality is contagious and might get brand revenues out of sickness. 

Some examples of my favorite brands that make everyday interesting and posts unforgettable are written here: 

1. On every wednesday, Netflix India does a simple but smart post called #womancrushwednesday, which I think is a creative way to promote their streaming content. It posts pictures of women from the films, shows on netflix.

2. Infamous #shotoniphone campaign is still relevant everyday and most of the users do not even realize that this hashtag started as a social media campaign. Today, instagram, facebook boast 10 million+ photos with this very hashtag. It increased footfalls on their page.  

3. Brand Deepika Padukone, as she is presented on social media, her account dedicates a special post to fans on fridays. Artwork,reels and quotes by fans are posted on stories with the hashtag #fanartfriday, this nevertheless leaves an impact on the fans, as a sense of acknowledgement and appreciation seeps in. 
4. Zomato’s #nocookingnovember became an overnight hit on twitter, instagram. Since then, zomato continues to do it annually selling discounts, coupons and vouchers with the same name and pursuing consumers to use the app for ordering in. 
5. Surf excel’s, annual Holi post on #daghacchehai is another witty take on their brand message. 
6. Gillette’s #thebestmancanbe during the metoo movement sparked intense conversations on social media platforms. According to the sources, the hashtag was tweeted more than a million times in 24 hours of tweeting it. 

Thus, dear reader, we come to an end on ‘brand identity’. These were some essential tips to build a brand image and identity. Overall, keep an eye out, observe the trends, think, write, design and most importantly create a product/service/brand that is worth cherishing and deliver the promise.