Branding 101
I love facilitating branding workshops. All aspects of it spark joy for me — from developing the presentation and customizing the exercises, to leading the session with clients, to drafting the summary and creative brief. It gets me in the flow. Plus, there’s nothing like watching a skeptic when their eyes light up as they realize something they thought of as fluff is actually smart strategy .
When I’m working with a new client, or a team that isn’t composed of creative professionals, I like to position the session as Branding 101. Focusing everyone at the start, I open by level setting using the term “branding.” It may sound basic, but experience has taught me that many people misunderstand what a brand really is. They may assume its a logo, or the tagline, or the name itself. If everyone isn’t on the same page things can fall flat really fast.
After a visual exercise I share AIGA’s succinct definition, then expand it a bit:
BRAND: a person’s perception of a product,
service, experience or organization
BRANDING: the conscious crafting and nurturing
of that perception
The reality is every organization, product, experience and location has a brand — even if they’re unaware of it. Neglecting it or letting the public define a brand leads to disjointed, confused and even conflicting perceptions in the market. And that’s never profitable.
Thoughtfully developing the narrative and managing the evolution of that brand may be overwhelming, but its critical to authentically connect with your target audience and build trusting relationships. Relationships bring revenue. Articulating a brand is no longer nice to have — It’s needed to play.
Brand building is relationship building, and relationships have never been more important than they are today. Trying to appeal or sell to everyone isn’t viable anymore. A steady stream of options for pretty much everything from products to events to jobs scroll past us with lightening speed. In our over-saturated, over-stimulated, global marketplace it’s easy for a brand to get lost or forgotten. A differentiated, clear and consistent narrative is needed to thrive.
And helping clients thrive is really fun.
#30daychallenge #branding #brandingworkshop