The origins of visual identity date back to the first tribes, in which the members of each one of them distinguished themselves from the rest with languages, sounds and differential marks on their body, as well as later the nobles and knights expressed it through the colors of their shields as a representation of their people.
Yet, today, we see countless very similar brands, products and services that, despite opting for creative, unique and consistent visual identities to highlight their differentiation, end up not being memorable over time.
When the difference between products is minimal, there is an urgent need to create emotional differentiation, and that is when branding plays its role. But not everything is worth it when it comes to creating it.
Although it may sometimes be thought that branding can be summed up in a logo, the reality is that we need to go further and know in which territory we are going to position the brand for it to be successful. Because when we think of Apple, we don't think of a "bitten apple", right?
Branding and brand positioning
Branding has made incredible progress over the advertising phone number list years, guiding many businesses towards a consistent path that allows them to achieve their goals, directing the focus of consumers' attention towards what really makes each brand relevant and authentic. But none of this happens, in the first instance, through visual identity if it is not accompanied by good positioning that makes the company relevant and competitive in a consistent manner over time.
What is brand positioning? Brand positioning strategy
Brand positioning is a strategy . Positioning is deciding the brand territory in which it is best to position ourselves to compete for space in the minds and emotions of consumers, and even society, taking into account our qualities, market opportunities, current trends and expectations.
Brand positioning strategy to be memorable and relevant
There is always an impression and an opinion about anything, whether intentional or not. The same is true for brands. A brand positioning strategy allows us to have control over most of the impressions we convey.
Good positioning achieves:
Differentiate ourselves imminently
Boosting our value proposition
Create platforms for growth and product development
Lay the foundations for a focused and coherent communication and design strategy that allows us to tell the world (consumers, potential consumers and competitors), without complexity, who we are and what we can offer.
Because telling us that we sell high-tech computers (nothing different and complex to understand) is not the same as making you feel that with our products you will have access to unlimited technology that will allow you to create anything you imagine.
Each brand, no matter how unique, will need to implement a detailed branding strategy, based on the positioning and brand territory we want to conquer, avoiding falling into the establishment of common objectives for all companies.
Most common mistakes when establishing a branding strategy based on positioning
1. Lack of clarity in expectations . We all seek to achieve a memorable product or service, but often brands tend to begin the positioning process with assumptions about what the final result will be. To create an experience in people's minds, the brand and agency must establish realistic expectations and create a collaborative model that allows the positioning strategy to be implemented effectively.
2. Not understanding what people need . Positioning a brand is not just about occupying a new territory, or being incredibly creative and innovative, but we have to focus on adapting to the day-to-day life and reality of our buyer, being able to satisfy their needs (even when they are not aware that they have them) and providing them with a solution to their problem.
3. Not reflecting our essence . Although our priority when it comes to positioning and communicating what we are should always fall on people, we often focus on shouting to the world what we can do for it without believing our own speech.
Have you ever heard the phrase “you can’t love anyone if you don’t love yourself”? The same goes for brands. The first step is to convince ourselves of what we are in order to communicate it to our audience.
Positioning must reflect the essence and vision of each of the people who are part of the brand, and this is a challenge that companies commonly face.
4. Believing that it is a process with a beginning and an end. The truth is that positioning does have a beginning, but the end is a sign of a bad strategy.
Good branding strategies create the necessary tools so that positioning can be worked on and evolve over time, and it is important that each brand understands the importance of keeping “the train running” with a visual identity and a marketing and communication strategy that is coherent and consistent with said positioning.
5. Forgetting about the product/service.
Although it is not the only relevant aspect, the product or service plays a fundamental role in the positioning of a brand. Our portfolio should go in the same direction.
We must group, sort or segment our products and services so that they project the brand's value proposition, thereby reducing the uncertainty of those who see it for the first time. Because even if we are a distinctive brand, people do not connect with what they do not understand.
Let's give an example.
A pencil brand can position itself from an artistic territory and its products, aligned with this territory, can have an elegant design segmenting the pencils according to different famous artists. For example, the “Da Vinci” collection for architects, the “Van Gogh” line for artists…, etc.
If, on the other hand, this brand decided to position itself from an adventurous territory, the product could invite the consumer to draw out-of-the-ordinary spaces, segmenting its products for different adventures. For example, “Oceanic” for pencils that can be wet, “Sunset pastel” for pastel-colored pencils…
Ultimately, it's about integrating brand territory and experience to effectively communicate who we are.
Most companies today are capable of doing and communicating amazing things. The role of branding here is to steer that line of communication and help organizations through disruptive times, identifying opportunities and turning them into a reality for the brand. We need to understand short- and long-term objectives, set goals with clear expectations, understand who we are, what we want to be, and then build that bridge to reach and stay in the minds of consumers.
