Introducing the Brand Genome

I’ve recently been doing a lot of reflecting on the current and past states of branding and the advertising industry. While ruminating on that, one of my colleagues sent me a great article in AdWeek by?Sandra Stahl?&?Michael Markowitz about the idea of brand genome that really hit home. I feel like this concept is the next step in the evolution of branding and that it can be a fresh guidepost for businesses looking to better understand and communicate what makes them unique in crowded marketplaces.

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What is a brand genome?

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In recent years many branding agencies have been touting the importance of understanding your brand’s DNA. Brand genome is the idea that there is a level even deeper than your DNA that can be used to guide not only your marketing and advertising, but every level of your company from internal office culture to customer touchpoints.?

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Brand genome is your brand’s core essence, distilled down to a single word. The different facets of this word can then be a guidepost for everything in your business from advertising to company culture, client communication, research and development, packaging, retail experiences and more. The brand genome is the lens through which you can look at every facet of your brand. It can also serve as a gut check for new ideas to make sure they are, truly, on brand and right for your business.

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An example offered in the article is Panera Bread. They identified their brand genome as “warmth” and this led to changes throughout their operation including in training programs and employee “warmth huddles.” In stores, Panera installed fireplaces and moved ovens closer to the front where they could be seen by customers. Executives incorporated themes of warmth into their personal profiles. It led to the entire company rallying around the concept of warmth in a way that is purposeful, helps differentiate Panera Bread in the market and creates a cohesive feeling of being wrapped in warmth at every touchpoint for the consumer.

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Identify your brand genome for growth and truth

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To define your brand genome, you’ll need to take a deep look at your brand, what it means to consumers and team members, and try to distill it down to its very essence. Initiating this process is also a great opportunity to bring in an outside consultant to discuss the brand with various stakeholders and help you get fresh eyes on who you are and what you brand really means to all the parties involved with it.

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Once you have identified your brand genome, it’s time to get buy in from internal teams across your organization. Different from other brand element efforts, the brand genome isn’t just a function of marketing and teams up and down the organization should be thinking about ways they can incorporate the brand genome into their work.

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Take all the feedback and brainstorming from different departments and help them put a plan in place to start practicing your brand genome. In the Panera example, changes were made to their retail locations, and internal teams rebranded their meetings and processes to reflect the unified genome of “warmth.”

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Ultimately, the brand genome is a tool you can use to gut check your instincts and ideas by. When faced with a decision, think, “does this align with the brand genome? How does it put our brand into practice?”

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It’s always a good idea to have regular check ins on your brand voice and image to make sure you are accurately conveying who you are (and want to be) to your target audience. Remember that your brand is more than just your logo and tagline—it’s how your team communicates and is perceived across your business.

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Going through the process of finding your brand genome will also lead to new innovations all around your organization. It’s a great way to bring new life to your company culture and your external communications and marketing.

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Do you need an outside partner to help you rethink your branding and perhaps identify your brand genome? The Boyden & Youngblutt team can bring a fresh perspective to your brand’s identity. Let me connect you to our team.