First thing’s first. Branding is not about your logo, font or catchy slogan! It’s much more than that. Brand is the very essence of a business or organisation. It’s your DNA.
It’s crucial to have a clear idea of who you are and what you stand for as well as an understanding of who your audiences are, where they are and what makes them tick.
The best brands create an emotional connection to capture the attention and, in time, the warmth and trust, of the people who are important to them. Think John Lewis and Lidl, both offering very different experiences to very different audiences. But their brand messaging is so consistent that whether we shop there or not, we know exactly what they stand for.
But branding is not a one-off exercise. It needs to be reviewed regularly. Over time, businesses develop, grow, perhaps even take a different direction. Trends change and what matters to audiences change with them. What often happens is that the brand gets forgotten or left behind. If you don’t take your teams and your audiences on the same journey, your brand can become diluted with the end result a loss of loyal support business.
As a PR agency in Portsmouth, we understand the importance of a strong brand strategy and develop consistent and cohesive messages across all platforms that not only resonate with your target audience but crucially are aligned to your business strategy and plans.
Remember brand is your most valuable asset. It’s what sets you apart from your competitors, and it’s what customers will remember long after they’ve made a purchase.
Every Polymedia campaign is devised to respond to your commercial objectives, although our brand strategy exercises are often about establishing those before moving on to the next more tactical stage.
We start with an assessment of where you are and review where you want to be. In its simplest form that might just be a discussion with you where we challenge and offer insight. It may involve on-site audits, discussions with a raft of stakeholders, strawpoll surveys and confidential analysis.
In today’s digital age, people get their news, information, and perception of a brand from multiple sources. It’s no longer just about traditional media like TV, radio, and newspapers. Social media, online reviews, and word-of-mouth play a crucial role in shaping how people view a brand. This is why having a strong brand strategy is essential.
Every interaction a person has with your brand is a ‘touch’. Think about it, you see an ad for a product on social media, then you hear about it in a TV ad, and later you come across a positive review of it on Google. All of these touches add up and shape your opinion of the brand.
It’s important to create a consistent message across all of these touchpoints to ensure that your brand is perceived in the way that you want it to be.
Investing in your brand strategy may seem like a daunting task, but it’s essential for long-term success.
Read more:
When is the right time to revisit your brand strategy?