10 ideas for building a brand
10 Ideas for Building a Kick-Ass Brand!
by Michel Hogan
As presented to the Churchill Club. Melbourne, Australia
In no particular order…
# 1 – Brand is much more than your logo. Think about your whole company as being part of your brand – all the way down to how you answer the phone, help your customers, hire employees, ship your products etc. Like the devil – brand is in the details!
# 2 – It is almost impossible to change your brand downstream,
so make sure you start the way you mean to continue. Do it on purpose, don’t let your brand be something you discover by accident.
# 3 – Be authentic. Just like it is hard to pretend to be someone you are not, it is impossible for a brand to pretend to be something your company isn’t. Take the time to understand what is true.
# 4 – Brands are defined by people. Your employees are on the frontlines of how your brand is seen by your customers (and other stakeholders). What they see is fundamental to either building or destroying your brand.
# 5 – Sing one song. If everyone inside the company is saying something different, to each other or even worse, to your customers, then it is impossible for people to have any idea what your brand stands for. Get the story straight and stick to it – consistency matters.
# 6 – Don’t confuse who you are with what you do. Enduring brands stand the test of time and while products and services can will and should change, the underlying brand ideal stays constant.
# 7 – Be passionate. No one will care if you don’t and all great brands share passion for something at their core.
# 8 – Know who you are talking to. Without someone at the receiving end brands are a bit like the party that no one comes to. Make sure you know who your customers are and why they chose you.
# 9 – It’s a commitment…not a campaign. Strong brands cannot be bought. They take time to develop, take root and grow. Perhaps one of the most overlooked principles of brand is patience.
AND # 10 - Do what you say you are going to do. Side-to-side, products-to-people. If you can’t do it, don’t say it. Period. If you do say it, live it.
