“What if I don’t want a brand? What if I just want to sell t-shirts?”
“What if I don’t want a brand? What if I just want to sell t-shirts?”.
Some businesses need brands more than others. If your business is first to market or you’ve developed a proprietary technology, your business may speak for itself more than others. However, consumers face a myriad of decisions every day. We’re inundated with advertisements, “new this”, “new that”, “revolutionary breakthroughs”, and “must haves”.
When you’re entering an existing market, how do you stand out? How do you connect to your target market? How do you attract partnerships? Stakeholders? Employees? Consumers?
The difference between a brand and a business:
Your business is your company. At the center is your product or service. It includes all the systems, processes, and people that are in place to serve it.
Your brand is your identity and your image.
What does a brand do?
Clearly and deliberately speaks to a target audience
Visually tells a compelling story
Evokes an essential feeling
Stands for something greater than itself
How does having a brand benefit my bottom line?
Creates loyalty among stakeholders, employees, customers and consumers
Promotes repeat purchases
Individualizes businesses
Creates additional streams of revenue: brand extensions, licensing, co-branding.
A brand does not need to be a “revolutionary breakthrough” or “the future of __” or a disruption to a given industry. In fact, few brands are. Instead, let’s be honest about our value, be proud of our service/product, and authentically portray it for what it is.
“If a consumer aligns with your values, your brand becomes a shorthand for those values in the marketplace. The consumer...is able to cut through the noise by recognizing your brand and sticking with your product. They form an opinion about you once, and as long as you don’t betray that trust, their familiarity with the brand simplifies their decision-making process...” - Bob Iger