I am often surprised by the answer to this question when answered by brand "professionals." Maybe I'm being a little unfair as the topic of brand can cover everything from metrics to voice and personality. And all of these elements, from visual artifacts to sound, contribute to the overall "brand" of a person place or thing.
So imagine my surprise when brand discussions initiated by Brand Agency's focus solely on colors, logos and imagery. Not that these aren't important, but they aren't the heart and soul of a 'brand."
Much has been written about the "10 this" and the "5 that" of branding. This isn't that. But to satisfy that part of your brain, here are the "5" metrics of a strong brand:
It must be relevant to a real or projected need in the marketplace.
It must be deliverable—the company must have the infrastructure, assets and intellectual capital to fulfill the promise and deliver value.
It must be credible—the company behind the promise must be perceived as capable of delivering it.
It must be differentiating—it must possess some quality that distinguishes it from all other competitively relevant brands.
It must be both inspired and inspiring—it must motivate interest, action and enthusiasm among employees, shareholders and customers.
Now I want to speak to that intangible. The Heart of the brand. So to prove my point, let me tell a few stories. The names weren't changed because the lesson is important.
I was attending a branding conference in New York with the Conference Board. A well respected agency presented the re brand of Delta Airlines. They defined the problem statement as Delta had a perception in the industry as a staid, old fashioned, down south airline. Some of the contributing factors were elderly flight attendants, their southern roots, ancient policies of "how we do things."
I think they were very effective defining the problem as a personality issue, and perception of that personality. So I was surprised when during the "solution" presentation, it was all about the visuals. That to me is akin to saying the way to change a persons personality, is to change their clothes. You can make them look different, but how are you going to make them act different?
I asked this question, only to be met with uncomfortable silence. They still had the same employees. The same (in their words) 70 year old flight attendants. The same heart of the company that acted the way they have for however many years, but now they had a shiny new set of clothes.
Fast forward to last month. I am sitting in multiple pitch meetings with DRTV agencies for a new spot for one of the brands we manage. As I see concept after concept presented, one question emerges from my lips. And one question only. "How are you going to inject the brand into this spot?" I was a little surprised when one agency responded "with colors and the logo." With colors and a logo. If only it were that easy to create a brand.
For those of you who desire simple, how tos in life, here is my one step, simple brand test. It's called the Badge Test. It's not original, I didn't invent it, but it works. Here's how it works. Look at the ad, brochure, TV spot, website, etc... of the company you are trying to brand. Cover up the logo and ask yourself this one question "Could this creative work for any company, or is it unique to THIS company?" That's it. Simple. All of the personality of the brand should still show through. If you could swap out the logo and the creative could work for a competitor, then the brand hasn't been captured. Esoteric, yes. Elusive, sometimes. But when you capture and communicate what is truly at the heart of a brand, you make magic.