What’s Brand Got To Do With It?

Inside the dirty little secret of brand building

As a brand strategist who has spent a lot of time working with B2B clients, I sometimes find myself in conversations that sound something like this: 

Me:     “So, our discovery process into your products has turned up something interesting. It looks like your brand is in need of an update.”

Client: “But we just refreshed our logo a few years ago. What does our brand have to do with it?”

This partially dramatized, incredibly paraphrased conversation symbolizes the common misunderstanding that a lot of companies have about what their brand truly is, why they should improve it, and how they can own it. Allow me to give you the inside scoop.

Re-branding (aka not all makeovers are extreme)

Part of the confusion comes from the word itself. We think of a “brand” as an identifying mark. We think of branding as design, and re-branding as a change in that design. But below that surface is the real work of brand building, often referred to as brand messaging. What does that mark stand for? What’s the personality behind that design? What’s my brand’s tone of voice? It is the answers to those questions that are always in flux.

Just think of re-branding as changing with the times — and that change doesn’t always have to be drastic.

Sometimes, you need a makeover. Other times, just a touch up.

It could be a subtle shift in your positioning or a re-evaluation of your value proposition. It could even be brand messaging that’s only intended to train and align your internal teams and never seen by the outside world. It may seem small, but even minor shifts in your brand can have ripple effects that go all the way down to your products, marketing, and sales.

Speaking of sales …

Brand equity (aka if you keep building it, they will keep coming)

One of the most overlooked words in brand building is equity. What is our brand equity? Every company should be asking this question periodically.

There is an urban legend in some advertising circles (we’re talking really niche subculture here) about an ad featuring a kid deciding between two vending machines: one Pepsi and one Coke that states “EXACT CHANGE ONLY.” As the story goes, the kid thinks about it, puts a dollar in the Pepsi vending machine, and gets a quarter back in change. He then puts another dollar in, and another, until he has enough change to buy a Coke.

As far as I know, this ad doesn’t exist. But I always use this story as the quintessential definition of brand equity. Ask yourself, are you loyal to certain brands purely because of the product quality or how they make you feel? For most people, it’s a combination of the two —which is why the more you build your brand (through design, messaging, etc.), the better you understand your brand and the more control you have over your brand’s loyalty and equity.

Brand building (aka finish what you started)

And therein lies the aforementioned secret about brand-building: it never truly ends. Think of any of your favorite brands and you’ll likely notice that they’ve all changed how they look, sound, and act over time. The same is true of all brands, big or small, B2B or consumer-facing.

A brand is a living, breathing thing. It needs constant attention, upkeep, and appraisal.

Neglected brands can become stagnant, outdated, misunderstood or, even worse, irrelevant. Those charged with the sober task of looking after a brand need to understand this process and embrace it. That’s what it means — and what it takes — to own your brand.

So, now I’m curious. What aspects of brand-building do you find most difficult? Is it something referenced above or something else entirely? And how are you dealing with it?

Let me know.