A strategic brand identity encodes who you are as an organisation.
What you believe, and how you meet the needs of your clients and employees. Informing experiences that are desirable and memorable.
It is more than a colour, a logo, a billboard or packaging. It is a tool to use whenever making a decision on behalf of the business. A reference point to ask: 'how do we talk about X?' or 'does doing Y feel right for our brand?', 'does Z sound like our tone of voice?', and so on (see below for a summary of times you might regularly look to the brand for direction).
Knowing ‘who you are’ and ‘how you are’ shapes decisions to best effect. Picture someone in your life who is comfortable and confident in expressing their identity. Their manner, their dress, their space feels natural and authentic to the person you know. It is compelling! The same is true of brands who inhabit their identity with similar intent. Speaking and acting in ways that are authentic to the brand, attracting people and holding their trust.
A brand identity should also mark your difference.
Create an advantage over your competitors by effectively positioning the organisation for success relative to the market.
‘Activating’ a brand strategy is simply the intentional translation of that identity into experiences that further entrench associations and build brand equity with your audience. It requires careful planning and resourcing in order to achieve best effect.
Regular measurement of brand awareness, associations, loyalty, and hence, equity is critical for calibrating and coordinating organisational activity. Ongoing refinement of alignment and relevance to clients, employees and stakeholders is key to maintaining brand health, and driving increasing returns.
When might you refer to the brand ID?
- You are business planning or defining strategy
- You are seeking investment
- You are outlining new processes or initiatives
- You are suggesting ideas or innovations
- You are developing products
- You are recruiting
- You are considering working with 3rd party organisations (partnerships)
- You are communicating on behalf of the brand
- You are creating content
- You are speaking at events
- And so on
What does a typical Senti brand development process look like?
- Briefing and desktop research
(into organisation, client/customer/stakeholder, market, etc) - Benchmarking current brand strength
- Workshop/co-design with project teams
- Initial articulation
- Workshop/interrogation/refinement
- Documentation
- Application (to verbal and visual assets)
- Workshop/activation roadmapping
- Activation support
- Ongoing measurement
Questions? We’d be happy to answer any questions you have about this, or chat about where your brand could go. Contact us ….
