Key elements of a solid brand strategy

At the moment of giving life to your business, as to any creature, one of the first things you have to do is to give it a name. The brand starts with the name.

 

There are always those who do not rack their brains too much, and there is also those who get the brand with the initials of the partners and the name of the company (we have all seen how Paco y Manuel S.A. has ended up being called PAMASA or similar).

 

But taking this aspect lightly is one of those things that can harm us much more than we think. Naming has to be a consequence of what we aspire to be and what we aspire to inspire in the client. In other words: it has to be a consequence of our brand strategy. 

Do you really believe that PAMASA says the same thing to the client as, for example, Mr. Wonderful? Of course it doesn't.

But the brand goes beyond its name. In reality, it is the crystallization of the brand's values, the concision in a word of how we want to show ourselves to the public.

You have to define a complete brand strategy based on those same values that will help you position yourself within the spectrum you are interested in. This is what will give your products a soul of their own.

When you do this strategic exercise, you facilitate many aspects of marketing:

No one is interested in the facts and dates of your company. Interest in your mission and vision is also quite limited... unless you tell it in an attractive way.

 

Brands that are able to present this information through narrative (the famous storytelling) make the information much more permeable to user. Almost without realizing, they receive a lot of inputs that they would not be willing to read in a report, no matter how many graphics it includes.

 

There are many examples of storytelling in eCommerce or retail. Some of them have already been discussed on this blog before.

One of our favorite success stories is Huit Denim, which sells jeans, something that in itself is practically a commodity. 

What is really interesting about this brand is in its story and how it revived the industry in a small town of 4,000 people. When you buy their jeans, you somehow imagine those people. The brand is much more than a clothing brand: it is a whole community.

What you say is almost as important as how you say. Tone of a brand's communication in any channel in which it interacts with the public serves to emphasize the message... and also to define it.

Strategically, a fun approach is not the same as a respectful, motivational or complacent one. The same product catalog changes radically depending on what the communication projects.

 

If we sell jewelry to a target of 55 to 60 years old and with a high average ticket, it is different than if we sell it to a target of 20-35 years old and with a lower average ticket. If you think about the target audience, you will surely have an idea of how you should address them.

 

This, together with the rest of the concepts in this article, leads us to generate a specific vibe, our own way of interacting with the public.

Look at the example of this English brand called Not on the high street. It has a good handful of "lovely" products, gifts for special people and occasions. Therefore, its copywriting is perfectly aligned with what it sells and to whom it sells it.

Its tone is close, always in the first person and he does not sell you the products for their technical features, but for what they inspire you. All over its website you can read adjectives like adorable, comfortable, brilliant, surprising... always more emotional than strictly practical. 

We have already said that the name is only one of the resources we have at our disposal for the definition of the brand strategy. The brand is also expressed in images, which broadens and strengthens the message.

 

As it happens with the choice of the name, behind the work of building the logo and the brand image there is much more science than what is perceived at first sight. It is an exercise of conceptualization in which we have to represent in a somewhat allegorical way who we are and what our values are. Color theory, geometry... all together and in a balanced way manage to represent us.

 

We already know that the logo and the image of many brands end up being an icon that multiplies its commercial function.  Many people buy products to show off their image. While others distrust house brands or those that simply have a careless or poor logo.

Lest´s use the example of a brand that we have already seen on our blog. It is Johnny Cupcakes, an online T-shirt store. Obviously, when we talk about fashion design, it is essential to have a good image.

 

Their logo consists of a cupcake with two crossed bones in pirate style; it is of great visual power. So much so that, despite having licenses from companies like Disney, the muffin t-shirts are always among the best sellers.

 

Why this example? Because of something that happened to the creator. Once at an airport he saw a guy with his logo tattooed on himself. Surprised, he discovered that he was not the only one and that many other people had it engraved on their skin.

This is a bit vague, but branding itself is a somewhat ethereal concept. 

Behind every brand is a set of values that go beyond the business. They can range from an ecological conscience that materializes in the sale of environmentally sustainable products, to a desire to offer peace of mind with products that increase the safety of a particular trade, or businesses of all kinds whose flagship is to offer the best possible customer service experience.

These founding principles should be part of the company's philosophy. Everyone who works there should internalize them so that they apply to every aspect of their professional performance.

But we do not want to say that again, so let's comment a little on the case of Dodocase. This is a company that sells iPad and computer cases. Well, in principle there are many like it, but Dodocase has a very strong mission and values: they make their cases by hand, with local materials, while preserving techniques that were used in traditional bookbinding.

 

We hope we have helped you define your brand strategy in a clear and effective way. If you take all these aspects into account, your proposal will not fail.