Taking a brand from Good to Great

The Five elements of a Great Brand

We’ve all heard it by now, a brand isn’t just a logo, or colors, or spiffy graphics.  While there are several elements that go into good branding, I’m going to distill it down into 5 on how to take a good brand to becoming a great brand in 2024. 

1. They Know their Audience

The overall goal of branding is to resonate.  The most successful brands in the world know who they’re speaking to and adjust their message accordingly.  This is why they’re able to connect authentically to their audience and create a strong emotional connection using their brand identity.

In brand building, understanding your audience is created through the brand journey.  A brand journey is the process in which the brand is defined by identity, marketing, and strategy.  A process in which most businesses skip over overlook.  In a brand journey, the audience is identified, analyzed, and thoroughly reviewed to understand completely who the brand is speaking to.  If there are different markets the brand touches, the brand journey will identify that and adjust accordingly so that it has a great reach across multiple touchpoints, creating clear and consistent message that resonates with their intended audience. 

2. They’re Amazing Storytellers

Great brands often tell a compelling story that develop an emotional connection with their target audience. The narrative should not just focus on the product but on the values, mission, and vision of the brand. Great branding has depth and has a well of context to pull from in order to create great stories that connect.

As humans, we are more engaged with a story than on facts alone.  Throughout history, we have passed down stories to convey the journey of humanity through the lessons we’ve learned from it. It is in our human nature to be enamored with stories.  A brand story helps the audience engage on a human-centric level. It tells the story of the brands journey that has led them to where they are and what they value. Having a great story garners empathy and loyalty from the audience creating community and trust.

3. They’re Innovative and Adaptive

Great brands don't become complacent. They stay ahead of market trends and continuously innovate to meet evolving customer needs and expectations. They’re engaged with their audience and understand the needs of the market.  Be flexible and adaptable in response to changing market conditions. A great brand can pivot when necessary, without losing what makes them genuine and authentic.  

This also jumps ahead brand consistency and having clearly defined brand.  Being consistent and understanding their market, brands are able to anticipate what the customers want and exceed their expectations upon delivery.  By understanding themselves as a brand, the business is able to greatly adapt.

 4. They are Consistent

Brands that are consistent with their messaging, use of identity, and marketing are overall the most successful.  They set the bar for what their audience can expect from them and continually deliver on that promise. 

Coca-Cola is a great example of this. Their marketing campaigns have a clear style and messaging throughout. While they may have different goals for different campaigns, they have a clear strategy that they know works for their brand. They are able to adapt and innovate, while staying remaining authentic to themselves.

Brands achieve this by having a robust brand guide and strategy.  Brand guides defines the methods of how the brand can be implemented.  By outlining the usage of logo, color, font, voice and tone, graphics, this all will create a consistent holistic experience for the audience and keep the brand recognizable to build trust.     

Ever notice how audiences get a little perturbed when a brand updates their logo? It strikes a twinge of “ugh” in the heart of the consumer.  Because the brand has been consistent, the audience has come to develop an emotional connection with the brand and the change pushes them outside their comfort zone. Not to say that change is bad, just that having the understanding that consistency is powerful.  If done correctly and well, you will have a loyal base.

5. They are Engaged with their Community

Building a community around your brand could be through social media, forums, events, or by other means. Encourage customer interaction and engagement. Some of the greatest brand’s such as Nike, are very engaged with their audience. They gather feedback, actively listen, and consider for improvements. Nike’s campaigns around social justice and community have had major impact to their brand loyalty.  They understand the environment that affects their audience and addressed it with solidarity. 

Another example to highlight - Jeff Bezo’s has a brilliant strategy.

 “At Amazon we innovate by starting with the customer and working backward. That becomes the touchstone for how we invent.”

By prioritizing their customers, they can curate their business around the needs of their audience. This not only shows that you value your audiences’ opinions but also helps to make the necessary adjustments to enhance your brand.  This flows back to adaptability and being agile.  By having a strong understanding of who you are as a brand, you can make the necessary adjustments to appeal to your audience without going against your core values. This keeps you relevant and engaged, ensuring longevity for your brand.