Brand Identity Process
A brand is a set of unique characteristics that describes the personality of the product and sets it apart from customers. For many businesses, the ultimate goal of branding is to create a permanent awareness of the product in the minds of their potential customers, which increases their market share and revenue. Generating a strong brand identity is the first step to creating that lucrative awareness.
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Personality
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Similar to a human's personality, the brand is formed organically and from practice. According to market researcher Jennifer Aaker, brand personalities have five dimensions: ruggedness, sophistication, sincerity, excitement and competence. Part of the product's personality comes from what the product does, another portion comes from the parent company and the last bit is created by marketers. The personality of the brand is conveyed through the tone of the advertisements, the communications from the company regarding the product and the physical traits of the product. Physical traits include logos and packaging design.
Product's Promise
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Consider what your product offers, the features that distinguishes it from competitors and how it fulfills the needs of your customers. The promises of your business and product form part of the brand identity, communicating the promise is an advertising cornerstone and fulfilling that promise cements the brand in your customer's awareness.
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Vision
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The company vision is the owners' and executives' ideas concerning the future direction of the company, its goals and the business' place in the world. Company goals are broken down into subgoals that product lines carry out. So, every product brand furthers the vision of the company. The addition of the company vision to products is an example of how parts of the brand identity process can happen naturally.
Values
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Values are made up of the businesses' principles and the brand's moral standards. The values of the company are an important part of the brand because few consumers want to buy from an unethical company that they feel they cannot trust to fulfill promises and deliver a quality product. Many companies use advertising to communicate the brand's values, while others may donate to charitable organizations and participate in community events. Negative events surrounding the business or product are very damaging to the brand. Publicity involving a lack of values can leave a brand's identity permanently unfavorable in the eyes of the consumers.
Lifestyle Appeals
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Lifestyle encompasses a person's way of life, including activities, opinions and interests. Marketers look for connections between potential customer lifestyles and their product. Brand identity enhances these connections and appeals to the consumer's lifestyle. Good brands attract consumers who see the brand as a symbol of their own personal identity.
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References
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