Scott Saunders | For those not immersed in the marketing sector, there lies a general assumption that when you talk about brand, you are talking about logo. And while there is some truth to that, there is a clear distinction between the logo – and the brand it represents.
In short, a logo is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition of a company or product’s brand. The brand includes all of its “touch points” (when it engages in some way with its audience) — from the quality of service/product and all visual communications to its customer service and methods of audience retention. Among the parts that make up the whole of the brand lies one of its main components, the logo — the visual reference for the customer’s association with all that the brand is comprised of. Which is why, for new start-ups and young entrepreneurs just getting their feet wet in the marketplace, the first step to a successful brand is having a successful logo.
Why is the initial step for a future brand to have a successful logo developed? The harsh reality is that many starting entrepreneurs lack the full amount of capital needed to have a fully-fledged brand developed from the start. Those initial funds being invested into the fledgling business must be spent wisely and on what matters most initially. But among those things should be a solid brand mark/logo that speaks and resonates with the audience.
Think of it in terms of an airport. The hangar is where the business model is being developed, initial capital is being raised, and products and services are being refined to bring to market. Since something just starting out most likely won’t have the exposure, the market attention, or the initial inertia needed for the brand to really take off during the initial launch window, that first step in a proper brand development strategy is to develop the logo. Think of this as the tarmac. The plane can’t go directly from the hangar to the runway and take off. It must first proceed onto the tarmac, wait for the right time to enter the marketplace and then proceed to the runway. It is here on the runway and in the initial takeoff that all of the touch points — and most importantly the emotional connectors of the audience through the brand as a whole — are put into play and allow the brand to take flight and reach its goal location.
Things like aligning values and making those strong connections between an audience and the brand naturally go beyond the capabilities of what a logo (visual symbol/graphic) can communicate. The Nike swoosh doesn’t literally convey “Just Do It” through its visual symbolism. The Starbucks mermaid didn’t initially symbolize coffee. Those associations came later after the brands’s launch. It is when all of the attributes of the brand that connect with the audience are communicated through brand does that logo have more meaning and association. It is what allows a world-renowned image of a certain fruit convey products, services, values and lifestyle that far exceeds the limitations of the literal visual communication of that symbol. The logo is the brand, but the brand isn’t just the logo. There is a distinction.
For those starting out with dreams of having a successful brand, it is crucial to have a fully-fledged and strategic brand developed. Just having a great logo alone won’t do it. But it is a key step towards that goal. Without it, the brand will not be off to a good start, will not have a good takeoff, and will never reach its destination or full potential.
