What is Branding Anyway?
Breaking down the buzziest of buzzwords
In the canon of jargon, “branding” is one of the buzziest of buzz words, and has been for a long time. As a brand agency, that’s always bummed us out. Flippant use of the term doesn't do any good for anyone; it makes branding agencies seem esoteric and disconnected and makes companies worry that they’ll fall down a black hole of nonsense (along with a sizable chunk of their budget).
As we’ve said in other posts: making a good brand is hard work, but the purpose and process shouldn’t be an esoteric blackbox. So we’re getting to the heart of the matter in this post, answering the most basic question, “What is branding, anyway?”
To understand branding, we focus on a few things: a clear definition of what branding is, an overview of the brand system (i.e., your logo isn’t all there is), and 3 rules that are the foundation of any good brand.
So here’s our high-level take, the philosophy that guides how we work with and make work for our clients. Hopefully, this will address questions, concerns, skepticism, or whatever else, and leave you feeling more comfortable with the term.
My working definition of “branding”
For a clear definition, we think Marty Neumeier nails it in his book, The Brand Gap. He puts it like this: “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It’s a gut feeling because we’re all emotional, intuitive beings. It’s a person’s gut feeling because in the end, the brand is defined by individuals, not companies, markets, or the so-called general public.”
In other words, brands exist in the mind of your customers. To make a strong brand, you need to close that gap between what you say about yourself and what your customers feel about you. Of course, you can’t control what people think, but you can influence. If you get most people to feel the same thing about you, then you have a strong brand.
“If you get most people to feel the same thing about you, then you have a strong brand.”
An effort to align those two things is the heart of what branding does. That’s where we, a branding agency, come in, and that’s what we make happen for our clients.
The Brand System
When you think about your brand, we consider the whole ecosystem and all the elements within it. We call this the BrandSystem, and every element has a role to play to communicate your core values.
“Core values” are what your company stands for. For some, it might be sustainability. For others, it might be performance, or making people happy.
How do you communicate those core values?Let’s think about your website as one major tool for that communication. On your website, you’ll have product photography, copy describing what you do, some colors, patterns or different little shapes here and there, maybe even some illustrations or icons to help people scan your site. All of those things can and should reflect your core values. You will also have your logo on your website, but it will be accompanied by a team of supporting players. Each of those are part of the Brand System.
When they all work in harmony they a) look great, b) deliver a clear and consistent message, and c) build trust with your customers.
Your logo isn’t your brand
It’s super important, but it's not the only important thing. Your logo is not your brand. Your logo is a trademark, a flag that people can see from across the room so they can pick you out of a crowd.The logo in and of itself is meaningless. It's just some letter and maybe an icon. Your brand (the reason people should care about you) is the only thing that gives that logo any meaning. The Nike swoosh means nothing without the years of meaning put into it.
Logos gain equity, but in the beginning they are essentially worthless. Your job is to be consistent with the meaning of your brand so that your logo starts to pick up that meaning. There are lots of tools within the brand system to communicate why people should care about you—photography, advertising, your website, the story on your packaging, and all the other visual elements you will need to consider to build a brand system.
When you do all of those well, then the logo becomes a symbol of your core values. Much like the Bat Signal. The logo is just a bat but, when it flies over Gotham city, you know immediately that it stands for justice (and it means that shit’s about to go down).
Focus not on the logo, but on the greater brand system and the reason people should care. The meaning of the logo will develop in turn.
“Branding” is not synonymous with “marketing”
Both dabble in telling stories to customers, but they aren’t the same thing. Here’s how we think about it: marketing is asking someone out on a date, but your brand is the reason they say yes. Marketing is all about communication, letting the world know you’re out there. But your brand is the reason anyone should care at all. You can’t do one without the other, but they are not the same thing.
The 3 foundational rules
1. Your story means everything—really.
We mean it: you’re different! There’s no one quite like you. It’s true, and doesn’t that feel good to hear? It should, and hearing about something special should make others feel good, too. That’s why you should shout what makes you unique from the rooftops.
What makes you different is what helps you stand out from your competitors. Standing out gets you noticed. Getting noticed is The Whole Point. “Brand management is the management of differences, not as they exist on data sheets, but as they exist in people’s minds.” (Another gem of a quote from Marty Neumeier)
“Standing out gets you noticed. Getting noticed is the whole point.”
So let’s lean into what makes you so special. Why do you do what you do? Answer this question clearly and you’ll find your core value—what you stand for. Communicate the core value over and over and over and you will convince a large group of people that it’s true. If enough people think it's true, then you have a strong brand.
2. Know your customers inside and out
To communicate your core values, you need to speak in a way that your customer will understand and relate to. And that means you need to know your customer down to the last letter. Not “customers” plural. You aren’t designing for a stereotyped mass. Start by envisioning one distinct person—not your current customer, your IDEAL customer.
Where do they shop? What do they do for fun? What do they do for a living? Really drill down until you can imagine this person standing right in front of you.
Can you see them? Good.
Now you can begin to evaluate the decisions you make for your brand around how you think the ideal customer would respond. This is a crucial part of the process because it externalizes the brand from your head and out to the world. We don’t build brands to serve ourselves, we build them to attract customers. Everything we do must be tested against this hypothetical person.
When we ask ourselves, “Is this in line with our core values?” or “Will our ideal customer view this positively?”, then we have a better idea if we’re making the right decision.
3. Use your words: it’s not just how you look, but how you sound
Consider your brand voice as much as you consider your logo! The brand system consists of your logo, website, packaging, graphics, menus, signs, tee shirts, trucks, billboards, digital ads, and so on and so forth. They should look great and be consistent, so anyone could easily pick them out of a crowd and know it’s yours.
But equally important to ask: how does it sound? Do you sound like a real person telling the world about yourself, or do you come off as generic and boring? (Nobody wants to listen to the person at the party who can only think to ask, “So...what do you do for work?”) You have to consider the tone of your messaging and make sure it’s as unique as you are.
If you’re a serious brand, be serious. If your competitors are serious, be funny. Be whatever you need to be, but be consistent when you decide to be that way. If you aren’t funny, that’s fine! Hire copywriters who are funny and make it so. Do whatever it takes to deliver the right message with the right tone to the right audience—that’s what makes you memorable.
That’s the gist
With a working definition, an understanding of the brand system, and the 3 foundational rules in your head, we hope you feel confident to understand the what, why, and how of branding. Let us know if there’s anything else you want to know about—we could happily talk about this stuff forever.
About Coppergate Design Company
I'm here to help brands find their voice, and translate that voice to products that resonate with a passionate audience. Our clients are our partners in crime: I measure success by how our work together helps your company grow. Want to chat about your company, products, or goals? Drop a line to michael@coppergatedesign.com
