The Overshare 01
Your brand is not your logo
If you’ve ever worked with me, you will already know this. But let’s assume we haven’t yet met. An awful lot of senior level people I come across think brand is a logo or a set of colours or fonts or illustration styles or photography. That’s a visual identity, which is just one way of articulating your brand. But actually, your brand is far more than that. And its central focus should always be: how do we want to make people feel when they come across us?
I particularly love this quote and use it frequently: “A brand is a living entity – and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures.” Michael Eisner, former CEO, Disney.
What does it mean? Well, that every time someone comes into contact with your organisation, it’s an opportunity to make them feel something very distinctive about you. And if you aren’t making the most of those touchpoints, then your brand isn’t working as hard as it ought to be. You’re missing a trick.
This is where I come in. I have been described as ‘Like the Hotel Inspector, but for commercial strategy, brand and communications’.
First rule: your brand is your people. Get them involved. Help them understand how vital they are in creating appeal for the audiences you really want. Everyone needs to play their part. Smart leadership teams I work with make it a non-negotiable from before you even start working for them. It runs through recruitment, onboarding, performance, company culture and behaviours – yes and marcomms - and is part of business as usual. It means when something – a decision, an action, a challenge is out of step, it’s clear what’s gone awry.
This is brand. It drives your strategic ambitions. If you’d me to audit your touchpoints (NB not a euphemism) drop me a line I’d love to take a look.