5 things that make a brand iconic
What do all the best brands have in common? Here’s 5 things they all share…
1. A Genuine Back Story
Just like a good book, a brand’s story can conjure up images, feelings, emotions, experiences and nostalgia - and also create new memories that stay with us for days, weeks, months, even years.
2. A Memorable Name
Earlier this year I wrote a blog about brand names and the different ways they are formed. The greatest brand names become part of our everyday language (e.g. Hoovering, Googling). The best brand names are easy to remember, easy to spell (e.g. when ‘Googling’) and are intrinsically linked to their values and associated benefits. These factors help us build a relationship and trust with the brand.
3. A Clever Tagline
Taglines often seem to play a supporting role to the main brand name or visual, yet they are critical to establishing a connection with an audience. ‘Just do it’, ‘I’m lovin’ it’ and ‘Every little helps’ immediately tap into our synapses and connect them to household brands.
4. A Professional Design
With branding being so vital to the success of a product, service or business, it still baffles me why many companies aren’t prepared to invest properly in brand creation and development. A brand’s visual design or logo is usually what makes the first impression, so it is important that it is influenced by the aforementioned back story. A professional brand designer will use this to create something timeless, yet flexible enough to be adapted in future depending on changing market forces and trends.
5. Careful Application
Creating a proper brand is one thing, but the real work starts from launch and implementation. To build a strong brand, the application management has to be on point, consistent and relevant.
Summary
Some popular brands have possessed 3 or 4 of the above attributes, and although they have done well, they have not necessarily stood the test of time.
A good story, name, tagline, design combined with ongoing supervision will generate and build a brand (and a business) that has the longevity and the ability to adapt to changing markets and trends.
Which brands do you think possess all 5 attributes?
And which of today’s popular brands do you think will still be around in 10 or 20 years’ time?
Author: Neil Corrigan
Branding and marketing specialist helping businesses grow their client base, market share and turnover.
