FIVE HALLMARKS OF STRONG BRANDS: EMPHASIZING BRAND EXPERIENCE & MORE.

Notwithstanding the colossal impact that the pandemic has had on global economies and businesses alike, a striking obverse saw a surge of businesses that grew out of the necessities of the new normal. A glut of business drowned away, simultaneously others sailed smoothly through these troubled waters. Some brands have always been evocative, others attempt to be. Albeit, big or small, the markers of strength are not determined by scale but by altogether other time-tested hallmarks. Here’s a look at some.

Strong brands are often:

While every brand’s ultimate objective is profitability, it usually doesn’t survive long if that is its sole objective. A pointer of its strength, stability, longevity and relevance is the value it adds for a customer. Does it solve a problem, address gaps, attend to stated or unstated needs? Does it do more than sell its product / service? How does it touch a chord in their lives? Take for example, IKEA that is anchored around creating a better everyday life for very many people through their well-designed, functional and affordable products. Clearly, the focus is on the ‘better everyday life’. No wonder then that the value provided outweighs its transactional aspect. Oh, and the IKEA shopping experience only sweetens the deal.

Often brands that build themselves only on the premise of good quality and price are outdone by another that offers either a better price or a higher quality. But a brand that has pulled it off brilliantly is Aldi with their promise of —‘The highest quality – the lowest prices’.  One of the ingredients in their secret sauce is… measurability.

It takes time, consistency, definable expectations and delivery to build that oh so elusive credibility. Tall promises are easy to make, and when they are delivered, the brand wins trust! Sure enough Aldi didn’t pull their promise out of magician’s hat but based it around a carefully thought through business model and operational efficiency. A dominant private label, easy to restock packaging, translates into a stronghold on the product offering. This then allows them to size their stores into smaller, more efficient units. Their promise stands on solid ground with a measure metric.

Some other quantifiers of measure metrics are time, distance and quality, ie; FedEx’s money back guarantee, Domino’s Pizzas 30 minute assurance, M&M chocolates that never melt in your hands.

Brands are constantly communicating— textual, visual, verbal content, events, engagements, activities, interactions, reactions. But the winners are not always those with the loudest voice, for even the tiny can be mighty. All it takes is communication in a consistent style coupled with a positive takeaway.

Recently Micromax’s CEO Rahul Sharma unveiled its reinvented avatar. He journeys us through the brand’s peaks and dips culminating it with his sights set on a brighter, better tomorrow. A horizon we are ready to buy into for it resonates with us on many levels —the need for resurgence, the spirit of nationalism.

But look closer and you can’t help but notice the cohesive collaterals, a stylistically definitive identity, evident in the color palette, layout and composition, typography, the tone of voice. It’s intentional and planned ahead of time, falling squarely under the purview of branding, a prelude to marketing activities. The punch of a well-crafted identity lies in its appeal, cohesion and recognisability.

An oft repeated word in this VUCA world, brands that demonstrate agility and appropriate responsiveness to the larger picture surely stay relevant. The larger picture could be a broader socio-cultural context as seen in the Micromax video or as in this recent Baggit commercial. Or it could be a geographical context such as the time Disneyland Toyko offered Japanese staples in the menu, but the Japanese were keen to savour an All-American experience including the food. The master story-tellers quickly course-corrected and didn’t make the same mistake when the Paris park opened. Except that the French preferred their wine and cheese over burgers, once again Disney was quick to respond. Large And lithe, a feat indeed!

Brands that reach out to connect are the brands that We connect with easily. Most customers prefer dialogues over monologues, engagement over mere exhibition, sincere connection over a sales push. . A case in point is Lego Ideas, not only does the brand inspire millions to build breathtakingly amazing Legos, but they also showcase and honour selected creations. The finalist’s creation is then turned into an official set.

In 2015, popular CRM platform Hubspot thanked their 15000 customers by dropping 15000 orange ping pong balls down four storeys, in what they called Operation Orange. It was certainly momentous, not only for them but their fans too.

Sure, marketing is critical in a hyper-connected world but invest in it after there is solidity to the purpose and promise, for then there is authenticity in the connections you make.

Building a brand is not an overnight task, nor is it a herculean one. It doesn’t necessarily require breaking the bank but it does certainly require far and smart thinking plus sweat. Lots of it! And then much more too, for these are a handful of the hallmarks of strong brands. But go on; tick these check boxes while you build your brand.

If you’d like to engage with us for more tips, tools and techniques, we’d love to hear from you at Namrata@nvisage.in
This is the first of a two part series on branding and design.

Founder NVISAGE and a retail veteran with a penchant for words, visuals, strategy and customer psychology. I combine them to create one-of-a-kind, hybridized outcomes for brands and businesses.
And, I enjoy working with small and growing brands to help them find a firm footing.