I remember when I first heard the term "branding" images of heated metal rods with farmers' initials on the end traipsed through my head. How many countless sheep and cows and pigs and the like were burned every day in the marketing world? Obviously I didn't think marketers actually branded animals with their corporate logos, but I did have a strong association with the word already in place, which is fitting because that is exactly what the term branding entails: Association.
Earlier today I noticed the tattoo on the ankle of a guy in the bank ahead of me in line. He was wearing the garb of a runner: nylon shorts, low top running shoes, a light colored t-shirt and had an i-pod or some other mp3 player hanging off of his pants with the headphones still in. His tattoo was of the Adidas logo. Those three ascending bars, colored gray, with a green background were on the outside of his ankle just above his anklet sock.
Earlier today I noticed the tattoo on the ankle of a guy in the bank ahead of me in line. He was wearing the garb of a runner: nylon shorts, low top running shoes, a light colored t-shirt and had an i-pod or some other mp3 player hanging off of his pants with the headphones still in. His tattoo was of the Adidas logo. Those three ascending bars, colored gray, with a green background were on the outside of his ankle just above his anklet sock.
All it once it struck me that this guy lived his passion. He was clearly a runner who loved it, and who also associated Adidas as his apparel of choice with the sport. In this guy's life, this brand had clearly made an impression.
Now I can't say for certain, maybe I just happened to be standing behind a recently returned Olympian getting ready to cash a giant endorsement check for literally inking a deal with Adidas. But in all honesty I couldn't help but consider the ramifications of getting in with your brand of choice like that - to actually tattoo it on your body. Did he have to pay for copyrights? Could you imagine a five year old who loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches getting that giant Mr. Peanut guy tattooed on his back?
It takes a lot of work to make a corporate image that the public agrees with. So much PR, advertising, and customer satisfaction has to be undertaken that in order to become successful, all the right moves need to be made, and branding is a huge part of that image. People have to associate something with your company, so why not make your company synonymous with the product or service you offer?
At Stormfront, our corporate colors are yellow and baby blue. The yellow lightning bolt appears on all of our ads, our marketing messages, in several conspicuous places on the website, and on several affiliate pages. We often design using various shades of blue because of the clean, serene feeling they promote, and because they are associated with us. We describe ourselves simply as "Stormfront Productions, a full-service online media agency." We try to demonstrate qualities of professionalism and desirability to our target market which is also a professional market. By offering this image, we garner the respect of potential clients who realize we are not some company based out of our mother's basement. This is big since there is so much competition, good and often bad, in the web development world. The customer needs to understand what they are paying for.
All in all, it is important to keep brand recognition in mind when developing any portion of your company's profile. Make sure you are consistent and demonstrate desirable qualities when you advertise or interact with current or potential clients. If you do it right maybe one day you will have loyal customers ready to tattoo your brand on their ankle.
Now I can't say for certain, maybe I just happened to be standing behind a recently returned Olympian getting ready to cash a giant endorsement check for literally inking a deal with Adidas. But in all honesty I couldn't help but consider the ramifications of getting in with your brand of choice like that - to actually tattoo it on your body. Did he have to pay for copyrights? Could you imagine a five year old who loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches getting that giant Mr. Peanut guy tattooed on his back?
It takes a lot of work to make a corporate image that the public agrees with. So much PR, advertising, and customer satisfaction has to be undertaken that in order to become successful, all the right moves need to be made, and branding is a huge part of that image. People have to associate something with your company, so why not make your company synonymous with the product or service you offer?
At Stormfront, our corporate colors are yellow and baby blue. The yellow lightning bolt appears on all of our ads, our marketing messages, in several conspicuous places on the website, and on several affiliate pages. We often design using various shades of blue because of the clean, serene feeling they promote, and because they are associated with us. We describe ourselves simply as "Stormfront Productions, a full-service online media agency." We try to demonstrate qualities of professionalism and desirability to our target market which is also a professional market. By offering this image, we garner the respect of potential clients who realize we are not some company based out of our mother's basement. This is big since there is so much competition, good and often bad, in the web development world. The customer needs to understand what they are paying for.
All in all, it is important to keep brand recognition in mind when developing any portion of your company's profile. Make sure you are consistent and demonstrate desirable qualities when you advertise or interact with current or potential clients. If you do it right maybe one day you will have loyal customers ready to tattoo your brand on their ankle.
Reinventing your business time and time again is not a good idea but adapting to changing consumer needs and industry direction is crucial. Nylon