Scott Saunders | A business and a brand have a symbiotic relationship. The business helps dictate the brand and the brand helps dictate the business’s viability and sustainability in today’s markets. For a business to thrive and attain (and maintain) success, its brand must embrace and strive to attain the three C’s.
Clarity
Yes, having clarity in a brand’s logo is paramount, but even more is having clarity in the brand’s image. This is found in how the brand is presented to the marketplace. Is it trying to be a luxury item to one demographic but a discount item to another? If the brand is found to be confusing as to just who it is trying to connect with, the brand lacks clarity. This lack of clarity can come in many forms. If a product is outstanding but has very poor packaging or an amateurish logo, the consumer experiences some form of confusion with interacting with the brand. Likewise, if a product (or service) is terrible, but has a great logo and wonderful packaging, the consumer has unmet expectations and can also feel confused as to the nature of the brand. There is truth in the saying “when you try to speak to everyone, you will speak to no one.” For a business’s brand to be a successful one, it needs to have clarity. Clarity in what the brand stands for and who its specific audience is. Clarity in the “personality” the brand presents to its consumers. Clarity in what type of relationship it wants to have with its audience. And clarity in how the brand properly represents the product or service for which it stands.
Consistency
The strength of a brand is best displayed when it has a cohesive and consistent approach to everything the brand does and how it expresses itself. If certain aspects of the brand are strong but others are very weak, this differential can limit the potential of the brand. If someone dines at a new restaurant and has a great meal but all of the staff are rude, this affects the impression left with the diner and therefore the brand’s reception. If the brand identity/logo and packaging of a product are very well presented and polished, but the social media and billboard headlines come across not executed well, the overall impression of the brand takes a hit, and the results weaken the power of that brand. Like a nugget of kryptonite in close proximity to Superman, the potential for greatness is hindered by an inconsistent approach to the brand. Be consistent in how you look, what you say, and how you do it.
Creativity
Yes, having clear and consistent brand is crucial for the success of the brand, but what separates a GOOD successful brand from a GREAT successful brand isn’t due to those factors but the creativity of the brand. If the brand is just following the herd and doing what all of the other brands or competitors are doing in their market, they won’t stand out. Yes, they may be successful but they won’t be memorable. That is where the power of creativity comes in. Whether that shows itself in your visual branding, or how you phrase what the brand says, finding ways that can connect with your audience in a creative way allows the brand to resonated on a deeper level with the consumer because you stood out in a way that was creative in its approach. Don’t just sound and look like everyone else. Be creative in how you approach the business and be creative in how you approach your brand and how your brand expresses itself.
Yes, there are so many factors that go into a business that can truly determine whether it will be a success or not. Price point, market congestion, faulty business plans, financing, etc… Certainly those factors help determine whether a business is setup to be a success or not. But every business has a brand (whether they like it or not) and the brand is what can take a business that is primed for success to the next level… and maybe even further than expected. But if the brand isn’t primed for success, the business lacks the power to really be sustaining or growing and will most likely not take flight. Combine an out-of-the-box approach that is clear and consistent and you have a brand that has a clear runway for takeoff.
