As fast as brands emerge, they disappear just as quickly. With market disruptions and choice overload for consumers, what do the successful brands have in common? To survive and thrive, we believe brands must focus their narrative by answering a few fundamental questions. [Read more…] about 5 Questions to Ask Before Branding
Dive deep into the heart of any successful brand and you’ll find one crucial element: a zest factor.
Think about why your brand matters. At our Vancouver branding agency, we take our clients through a unique process to discover what makes them the only. This “onliness” is what we call the zest factor Your zest factor is the heartbeat of your company—the thing that sets you apart from the others, and highlights the heart and soul of your brand.
When you’re bringing your business to market, it’s tempting to try and stand for everything and be everything to everyone. Unfortunately, though when you attempt to be everything to everyone, you end up appealing to no-one. Look at your competitors and ask yourself why customers should switch to you: The unique way your service might be superior. Your pricing structure might be unlike anyone else. Or perhaps you are offering something on an emotional level that appeals to your audience, such as ethically sourced materials.
Ask yourself what zest factor your competitors have. Learn as much as possible about them, from their advertising, social media, websites, and product/service descriptions, to the tone of voice they speak.
If you can’t say why your brand is both different and compelling in a few words, than you likely don’t have a killer idea, and there is no magic way to rise to the top—you’ll need to fix your company or product.
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Let’s chat about launching your new brand—drop us an email!
Branding is an opportunity to connect with the right audience in an unforgettable way, but without an understanding of the branding process, your business will be lost and your money will be wasted.
Here are four questions to get you thinking about brand strategy. Our Vancouver branding agency is passionate about working with you to build a brand infused with intelligence, meaning and imagination. We’re excited to help ambitious companies, so if that’s you then get in touch!
Your passion which motivates stakeholders forward—a common purpose beyond profitability.
A brand needs to resonate on a deep emotional level with its audience. Understanding who they are and connecting with them authentically will be what drives sales and loyalty.
Carving out a defendable and distinct position and personality is how you will make a notable impact.
If your strategy stops short at a logo, then your efforts are vain, meaningless and disconnected.
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Let’s chat about launching your new brand—drop us an email!
As brand designers, we develop many aspects of the brand, from the strategic thinking that creates the big idea, to the brand visual graphics, colour strategy, typography and imagery. But there’s an aspect that many startups and designers overlook, and that is a brand’s voice.
People often say, “we need branding work,” and then they begin the conversation talking about colour schemes and logos—That’s a mistake. Your logo, your tagline, your colour scheme, your graphics are just the outward facing articulations of your brand’s purpose, promise, voice and personality.
Engaging, relatable, and memorable brands are more than marketing tactic—they’re about telling a story and forming lasting connections. Are you the kind of company that people want to chat with over a few pints? Or are you the one who people are continually inspired by? Perhaps you’re the one they look to for expert advice. Defining your voice will give you a powerful tool for connecting with your customers, but only if you know how to do it.
Your audience is constantly inundated with marketing messages these days, but if you can learn how to give them something that truly surprises or intrigues them, they will pause and really consider what you have to say. They might smile, or laugh, or take a moment to think. Done right, that moment will stick with them, and they might even share it with someone else—because we all love a good story.
People buy from people they like, know, and trust based on a relationship cultivated over time, they don’t want a robotic, one-sided, copy-and-paste relationship.
Behavioural psychologist and Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker designed a framework that posits there are five dimensions to one’s personality, and each contains a set of facets. Each facet contains a set of traits.
To apply these to a brand, you rank the traits on a scale of one to five, with one being the least representative of your brand and five being the most. The Five Dimensions Framework can be used to compose the personality of a new brand or to articulate a brand’s current state (defined by customer perception and attitudes) and future state (defined by desired perception).
Another method is using Carl Jung’ 12 archetypes. His theory was that the identities are derived from our most primitive instincts and collective unconscious, forming the foundation of who we are and what stories we tell and surface in our culture. We tend to have one dominant personality, but often we’ll have a back-up as well.
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For brand strategy services, send a message to our Vancouver Branding Studio
The job of branding and package design is to reflect those values back to the customer. When it comes to adventure brands, we want the products to look and feel exciting and capable. Wellness brands should ooze a healthy and wholesome vibe. Luxury brands need to convey a sophisticated language and personality and their packaging should be high quality.
Many of the trends we will see this year are largely based on the buying power of Millennials. They’re influencing how brands respond to consumers shifting values. Consumers in the 18-34 age bracket are demanding higher standards of design and a consideration on environment and sustainability.
Brand these days need to be more honest and authentic than ever before. The traditional power dynamic where the brand has more power than the consumer is long gone. The Millennials are so well-connected that they know if a product is inferior, the service bad or if the brand is not being authentic. In today’s market, consumers can find an alternative almost instantly or publicly criticize a brand, using social media.
Consumers want a story. They want to know “why” you’re selling your product or service, not “what” you’re selling. Recent research supports the importance of good brand stories, finding that a brand, its zest-factor and even its font style and color scheme were accurately recalled in the context of an original story.
Retail spaces are becoming brand experience spaces. How you behave is as important as what you say and smart brands will reinvent their spaces for people to connect and interact with the brand in person, versus just online through social media and web.
The process of getting your idea to the shelves of major retailers can feel overwhelming. And once you’re there, success not only requires a viable idea but an alluring brand, scaleable business model and healthy supply chain.
Understandably, we all want the instant product success and the brand recognition of companies such as Herschel, Burt’s Bees and Air BnB. But what does it take for a brand to truly break through in today’s crowded market?
It starts with planning. First, you need to define the purpose and value proposition of your product—at our Vancouver branding agency we ask: What’s your zest-factor? Second, you need to focus on storytelling rather than on selling a product.
It takes more than a great product to pitch the retail buyer. You need to know what you do and why; it’s also important to define what you don’t do.
For your product to stand out, you must have a purpose. And you’ll need to really think deeper on this—it’s a nice sentiment to try and make the world a better place, but ultimately that’s just a vague comment that doesn’t capture attention. Instead, look at your target customers and decide how your products will enhance their lives and solve a problem for them.
Stories are the best way to distinguish yourself from the other brands. Why?Because people always remember a good story. If your brand is going to succeed, it has to become something more than your products. You need to tell stories that touches the hearts of your customers.
Great stories have several key ingredients, here are a few to consider:
Theme
Something important the story tries to tell us. A theme ties the character’s (customers) concerns and passions and it will keep your brand on-point with every decision and communication.
Example: Toms shoes, improving lives.
Plot
A conflict or struggle that the main character (customer) goes through and the sequence of events inside a story. Conflict translates naturally to storytelling in products. People use your product to solve a specific problem or to get a specific job done. What will their experience be from purchase to usage and beyond?
Example: Endy Mattress. By offering home delivery in a compact box, the company takes the stress away from the mattress-buying process and even makes it enjoyable in its un-boxing.
Setting
A place and time that gives a vivid mental picture of the world your characters are in, as such, when you can create a setting that your product lives, it gives people a feeling of stepping into a whole new world with your brand.
Example: Is your brand about; the natural environment, a fun atmosphere, on an adventure in the backcountry, a luxurious evening etc? Once you define this, you can enhance and embellish.
Style and Tone
The language that feels right for your story. A brand’s tone of voice should be distinctive, recognizable and unique. It’s job is to communicate effectively with the customer.
This is one of the first questions I ask my clients. Yet so many times I hear “Everyone. My target is whoever wants to buy my product”.
Knowing your demographic is essential so that we can understand purchase habits, what other brands appeal to them and with whom you might be competing with for their attention on the shelves. Knowing your target market allows us to establish a brand personality and design language that speaks to them.
Research your ideal retailers and list the type of products that they offer. Look for gaps where your product fits and where there are no competing products. Or if there are competing products see where your direct competition sells and how their product is positioned. Are there advertisements, point of purchase displays, or end-caps dedicated to your competitor’s product or brand? If the answer is yes, you might have a harder time out-marketing them, but, does your product offer a different value proposition or go after a different niche?
Obviously you need to do your homework on ingredient/material costs, the cost of your co-packaging or manufacturing costs, any broker or distributor fees, as well as any packaging, design, engineering and freight costs. Beyond that, you need to look at how the brand relates to the price. If you have an $8 box of crackers that will sell at Whole Foods, it should look and feel like an $8 box of crackers in order to appeal to the customers you’d like to target.
A smaller budget and lower retail price doesn’t mean your packaging can’t be well-designed and on-brand—but it’s very important to look you want to achieve with a specific project budget. If your product is purposefully economical, it shouldn’t look like a luxury brand—there would be a disconnect with the customer.
If your product isn’t selling, it won’t be reordered. It’s as simple as that. You need to make sure your product is top of the list for a purchase order. This means understanding their needs and how you can help make their life easier.
Make your best effort to keep stores informed and educated about your product. This means in-store demos, providing helpful marketing materials and even producing in-store displays or coolers that assist with telling your story for you.
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For more help with launching a product, drop us an email!
If you’re a startup or small brand looking to breakout, you’ve gotta think about micro-specialization. What do your customers need and how can you narrow your offering down to something you can become known for. If your brand were a cyclist, would you only fight for the yellow jersey when you have the opportunity to change gears and competently grab the polka dot?
This is a question potential customers think about when making purchase decisions. Imagine for example, you crashed your bike and you need surgery on your left shoulder. Are you going to head to the nearest surgeon, or would you rather visit the one who specializes in left-shoulder surgeries?
By concentrating on a niche, you can stand out amongst the competition, give your prospects the confidence to listen to your pitch and seriously consider your offering. Eventually they’ll decide to purchase from you instead of the more generally-focused competitors. The expertise your brand offers makes it the first and often only stop for your customers.
Let’s take a look at the boutique bike brand Franco for example. This sleek and elegant roadbike brand based in SoCal is one I hadn’t heard of until recently, and it begs the question, how can a boutique brand imagine competing against the big brands like Specialized and Giant?
Nevertheless, Franco is gaining traction and popularity. Franco’s strategy? A hyper-focus on customer service. Franco pride’s itself on making no compromises when it comes to personal service, tailored builds and top notch performance. When you order a Franco, everything is custom. Each bike is built from the ground up according to each customer’s specific requests regarding all components, from custom colour to drivetrain, saddle, stem and handlebars.
So rather than buy a bike off the shelf and drop an additional wad of cash on upgrades, with Franco you get the bike exactly the way you want it, out of the box. Plus they’ve dialed their consumer-direct business model so you are knocking out the middle man to save you some moola for maintenance and cafe’ stops.
By narrowing your focus on a niche, you can get you closer to your customers. From this closer vantage point, your brand can become indispensable and a pacesetter for a specific offering.
When your brand can offer a unique product or service to a niche audience, you have the benefit of setting prices to increase profitability. The price reflects the exclusivity of the offering, and there’s no argument because you’re in a position to be sought after for your expertise.
Look for low hanging fruit. What do your customers want that other companies don’t currently offer? Are there common services or products you can put a creative spin on? Some examples could be:
Many small business owners I meet think they need a “logo” for their business and very few understand the nitty gritty of what a brand is, why it’s important and that their financial investment is wasted if they’ve only thought as far as logo.
Branding and healthy business go hand in hand, but for most small business owners it’s hard to implement successfully because they just don’t see how developing a brand can apply to a small business such as a physiotherapist, cafe or veterinary clinic.
Your company name, the way you answer the phone, the clarity and consistency in communication, the vibe in your office or shop, what your customers are saying about you; all of these things create an impression of your company and what it’s like to do business with you—that’s your brand.
The process of branding formalizes how you conduct and present yourself and your business on a day to day basis and it involves creating a set of standards for decision making and communication. The creation of graphics are certainly part of this process, but they have a purpose, which is to signal the reputation you wish to convey.
A logo in its basic form is a distinctive typeface or graphic style used to represent a brand name.
Think if your logo like a suit or outfit you wear. Its purpose is to support your personality, values, character and all of the things that can’t readily be touched or seen. It draws people in to learn more…but as we know, unless there’s more behind a mans good looks, most ladies will keep on walking.
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For more info on how Zesty Brands can help your small business, drop us a note
In an era where brands are increasingly pressured into short-term thinking, careless reactions to trends, features frenzy and non-existent visions, it’s worth considering how mindfulness can help brands filter out the noise and create space for what matters.
Mindfulness encourages more intentional and purposeful action in our personal lives, but it goes for business too. From brand development to design and deciding how and when your brand will communicate, mindfulness can be applied to every area of business. Taking a zen approach to branding offers a space to breathe—to evaluate what’s in front of you and make conscious decisions.
Elegance and simplicity, two of the hardest attributes to accomplish are key to achieving a Zenful brand.
Regardless of what we’re working on for you, our approach has a potent focus on consistent brand experience—That’s how you build an authentic brand that people desire.
When you’re getting to know a person, you start to feel more and more comfortable. You learn about their positive traits, personality and how they make you feel. Effective branding is exactly the same. Branding is not just about looking good and getting your name out there. It’s about helping customers get to know your brand on a personal level.
Is Arc’teryx hands-down better than every other outdoor apparel brand in the world? Probably not. Regardless, it has countless diehard fans who search far and wide for their perfect Arc’teryx technical shell—even if they see a similar brand with essentially the same features, quality and warranty.
We are surrounded by a multitude of these similar brands every day, whether we realize it or not. So why do we choose one brand over the other? Consistency is one critical component. It’s the way the brand makes us feel over and over again. A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company and this gut feeling determines our likes, dislikes, and most importantly, our brand loyalty.
This is where the importance of brand consistency comes into play.
Ultimately, what you are trying to do with your brand is create trust between you and your customers so they don’t have to think too hard about their choices. They automatically pick yours. Trust is a result of your reliability and the delight you deliver. The more choices people have the more you need to work on the delight portion of the formula. We make our decisions very intuitively even though we try to be rational, the human brain is not powerful enough to make complex decisions rationally. So in the end we rely on trust.
The Trust Formula: T = R + D (Trust = Reliability + Delight)
Great branding makes customers feel like they know your brand and that your brand can be trusted. Arc’teryx does this very well. Their purpose is to create apparel and gear that gives users the confidence to perform at the point of extreme need and their goal is to create equipment that enables a person to be immersed in the moment of doing, regardless of external conditions. They evoke emotions with customers over and over again in their brand communications, marketing, events, graphics and brand touchpoints.
In contrast, Mountain Hardwear has similar quality products, but they simply aren’t as good at telling a story or evoking emotions in customers. Good quality can only carry you so far, and so they become just another brand that pales in comparison to Arc’teryx.
The zest factor is when customers feel like they know you and can trust you and when they identify with your purpose. Only then will they become loyal brand advocates who recommend you to their peers.
I’ve heard many clients say if they could just get customers to try their product or service they’re sure they would like it. It doesn’t work that way. You must start by putting a consistent brand message in front of consumers.
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Chat with us today about becoming a brand leader
Often people think of attracting customers by finding a large group of possible targets, make shiny things to attract them followed by sending a bursts of messages. This is a fools errand. You need to start by designing a world they will wish to inhabit. You need to cultivate meaning in order to captivate an audience—Branding.
Everything people buy adds to their identity. As such, customers make decisions based on emotion or gut feelings. They see themselves and who they want to be in the brand.
Branding is why
Marketing is how
Branding is long-term
Marketing is short-term
Branding is macro
Marketing is micro
Branding is strategic
Marketing is tactical
Branding is a pull tactic
Marketing is a push tactic
Branding drives enduring reputation
Marketing drives periodic sales
Branding is the reason someone buys
Marketing is the reason someone thought to buy
Branding builds loyalty
Marketing generates response
Branding creates value
Marketing extracts value
Branding is the being
Marketing is the doing
If you try to sell, you’re doomed. You must alter your thinking from transactions to relationships. Aim for not just sales, but for a much deeper connection with your customers.
If it can’t be said simply, how can you expect customers to quickly connect with the heart and value of your brand?
It’s common to want to list every bell and whistle on your brochure or package design, but your customers will be overwhelmed. In a world of increasing complexity, a clever bunch of organizations have found that embracing simplicity can deliver far-reaching results.
At our Vancouver branding studio we teach clients to simplify. Our client HITCASE for example could say all of the reasons why their product is great for surfing; waterproof, durable, comes with flotation attachments, has a super cool variety of lenses to snap on, etc etc. Instead they say one thing “Made for this”. In taking this strategy they achieve everything they want and evoke emotion—with only three simple words!
Branding is a way of clearly highlighting what makes you different, and more desirable than the competition. Effective branding elevates a product or organization from being just one commodity amongst many identical commodities, to be something with where there is no substitute.
You don’t need to have an exciting product or service, you just need to have courage and imagination. Even though every brand wants to lead, unfortunately most end up doing things that are very similar to their competitors…blast everyone and anyone with confusing and complex messages.
A great strategy to start simplifying your brand is customer journey maps. When you understand each and every point of interaction with your brand, you can more easily maintain a seamless experience. The more you know, the better able you’ll be at striking a chord. And the less value you’ll see in a shotgun approach.
