In the Old West, when ranchers drove their cattle across country, they were required to road brand their livestock to prevent theft and mix ups in ownership. The brands were simple designs burned onto the animals using hot iron shaped into a distinct mark. Ranchers could always identify which animals were theirs by looking at the brand.
These days, the term brand has come to mean much more than a distinguishing mark that identifies the producer of a product or service. What was called a brand in the Old West is now called a logo. But in todays world, a brand is much more than just a logo.
A brand in the consumer and business worlds is what you think about and feel when you see a companys logo. For example, when you see the sleek silhouette of an Apple with a bite taken out of it, you know youre looking at an Apple Computer product. But everything about the company the subtle, simple, elegant design of their products, the professional, friendly tech support, the understated, minimalist-style advertising they all come together to form a specific feeling and impression in consumers minds. This is the brand.
The process takes years. It means creating a unified experience for customers in every point of contact you have with them. Your product, your website, your emails, your customer service and your storefront should all send the same message. This way your customers will come to have positive experiences and expectations about your company.
Think about how to send your message using all of your senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. For example, if your business cards have a good design it will appeal to the eye, but if they are printed on flimsy paper that feels cheap to the touch, youve created a disconnect and suddenly your message is no longer unified.
We can learn a lot from companies that are doing a great job managing their brands. Hearing their name or seeing their logo brings specific, positive thoughts to mind:
Nike = sports, fitness, quality, activity
FedEx = overnight package delivery, fast, dependable
Target = stylish, affordable products, inexpensive doesnt mean cheap
Arbys = quality, fresh, different fast food
Whether you know it or not, youre building a brand already. Each interaction you have adds to peoples perception and feelings about your company. So its important to manage those interactions and do all you can to create a company that occupies a specific place in customers minds in a positive way.
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/designmatters?m=19
About Me
- Jeffrey Summers
- I am the expert you call when you need to learn how to increase top line sales, lower your operating costs, increase your profit margin, hire and train better managers and staff, evolve your operation into more and better ways of doing business, buy or sell a restaurant, improve your service, engineer (or re-engineer!) your menu, market your business better and less expensively, keep yourself from going nuts because you have no life anymore, open more and better restaurants, don't want to have to give up your first born child to pay a consultant and have more fun! My mission is to enhance the quality of life for my clients by providing the best products and services to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. I take great pride in my clients, my company, my commitment to service and the products I sell. I am a recognized expert in the hospitality industry with over 24 years of success at planning and executing strategies for delivering dramatic results, a former "GM of the Year" for 2 major, full-service, franchises, an Award winning Multi-Unit Executive with 2 of the largest restaurant chains in the U.S., published author, husband and father of two.