Creating a Brand Without a Strategy?

Whenever we manage a rebrand, we really go to town.

There’s a good reason for this; rebranding isn’t simply a case of designing a new logo or launching a new website – there’s a significant amount of strategy required, too.

Unfortunately, we come across far too many businesses who want to rebrand without the strategy.

It’ll ‘save money’, you see.

However, ignoring the strategic part of a rebrand is going to cause you some serious problems down the line.

Apples for Apple

When you see the Apple logo, what do you think?

  • “That’s a nice logo.”

Or

  • “They make smartphones and computers which have a huge, loyal following.”

It’s the latter (or some variation thereof), isn’t it? It is a nice logo, yes, but that’s such a small part of the Apple brand.

Apple has worked for decades on the strategy behind its brand. Beyond aspirational products and a design-led approach to everything they do, they’ve aligned their brand with artists, creators, and sustainable practices. You already know what the inside of an Apple Store will look like.

They may not be for everyone, but Apple demands an emotional connection from its audience. People KNOW what the company stands for.

It’s why they’re one of the most valuable companies on the planet.

It’s also why you need to work on your brand’s strategy, too.

Why the research stage of a rebrand is so important

It’s entirely possible to create a beautiful, engaging logo. But that doesn’t make it a brand.

In fact, a logo without a strategic brand behind it is nothing more than a design. And, let’s be honest, that’s pretty useless.

Your logo needs depth behind it, and that’s where your overall brand vision and strategy comes in.

This is only available via one method: research. It’s hard work, but it’s also why agencies like ours exist. Every year, we help smart, forward-thinking businesses research the meaning and purpose behind their brand.

Gaining an outside perspective on this is vital. When you’re so close to your own business, it’s hard to step back and see the market for what it is. It’s even harder to work out your place within that sector.

More experienced pairs of eyes will spot things you’d never see in a million years. There’ll be opportunities for your brand to make a huge impact within the industry, and equal opportunities for it to sink without trace.

To create a brand worth engaging with, you’ll need to:

  • dig deep into what the competition is – and isn’t – doing;
  • really understand your ideal customer
  • continually ask the question, “what’s in it for our customers and how do they know?”; and
  • answer some very difficult questions about your business.

They will be difficult questions – mark our words. You might think you’ve nailed your brand already, or as though your product is just waiting to be discovered.

That may not be the case. But with the right brand strategy, you’ll begin to carve out a space within your niche and, most importantly, UNDERSTAND what you need to do to provide the solutions your audience wants.

Standing for something

If we look at Apple once more, it’s clear that they stand for a number of things. They’re outspoken about inequality issues and are never backwards in coming forwards on the privacy debate.

A 2019 survey revealed that 70% of consumers want to know what brands are doing to address social and environmental issues. You can’t do that with a logo, but you can do it with a bullet-proof brand strategy.

There is a challenge for small companies; we appreciate that. Standing for something publicly can be seen as far too risky when you only occupy a tiny portion of the market.

After all, if Apple loses a few thousand fans because of their take on a specific issue, they’d barely notice the dent in their armour. But your business? You really can’t afford to lose customers simply because you got a bit ‘ranty’ or are opinionated about a certain emotive topic.

The trick lies in making your brand’s position, ethos, and goals ultra-clear from the start. Do that, and you won’t become another generic player. You’ll be interesting and you’ll set expectations for everything that emanates from your brand.

Which brings us back to the brand strategy, doesn’t it? You can only make your raison d’etre ultra-clear by investing properly in everything behind that logo.

Be Smart can help. If we’ve sparked your curiosity today, just get in touch for a chat.

Digital Assets Are Now More Important Than Ever

You need a logo. Cool. So, you head into the design process and create something (either by yourself or with the help of a trusty design expert friend).

The finished result is just what you had in mind; you’re proud of it, and confident it perfectly reflects your brand ethos and mission.

So, onto your website it goes. It looks great.

Next, your Twitter profile image.

Ah; it looks terrible. No matter what you do in terms of resizing, cropping or adjusting, your shiny new logo just doesn’t work on Twitter at all.

This is more common than you might think, and we know why.

Why branding needs to be cross-platform

We’ve seen far too many branding companies and marketing agencies create digital assets for businesses without planning ahead.

Just like our fictional company above, they create a logo or set of brand guidelines which work for one platform (usually the company website), but fail to think about channels like social, print, and video.

This is why it’s so important to have a cross-platform strategy for your branding right from the start.

It’s the branding equivalent of futureproofing.

Why don’t logos work on all platforms?

One look at a social media logo dimension cheat sheet, and you’ll realise how different each platform is when it comes to image requirements.

They all rely on logos working to their standards rather than the other way around, and this is for one simple reason: there’s no such thing as an industry standard dimension for a logo.

This is what makes logos so unique, but it’s also why you probably can’t squeeze the logo you have on your website into that tiny circular Twitter handle.

So, should you use different logos for different platforms? Well, to a degree – but you have to be careful.

It’s common for brand assets to be developed which can be adjusted for different formats and aspect ratios without confusing the audience.

Disney is a great example of a logo which can be modified to fit different platforms. You’ll see it with or without the famous castle behind, but you’ll never be in doubt about the brand thanks to that unmistakable, unique typeface.

Amazon’s the same. The ‘smile’ which features on their full logo is so ubiquitous that it can confidently sit on its own within their smartphone app icon.

The assets you need to consider for your logo

When we first start working with a new brand, we always talk strategy before anything else. We want to know the goal of the brand before creating a logo to go with it.

From there, it’s important to start thinking about the assets you need. And it’s scarily easy to underestimate just how many things on which you’ll want to attach your logo.

For instance, modern marketing assets include:

  • social media profile logos;
  • social media profile banners;
  • YouTube banners and watermarks;
  • Zoom backgrounds;
  • PowerPoint presentations;
  • PDF documents (for instance, quotes or brochures); and
  • app icons.

There’s the more traditional stuff to think about, too. How confident can you be that your digital logo will sit nicely on a piece of paper or at the top of a letter, for instance?

How to create a cross-platform logo

Well, firstly, you need to work with a great branding agency (ahem…), and then you need to think about everything your brand might need to touch.

And when we say ‘everything’ we mean everything and anything. That means everything we’ve mentioned above, plus any merchandising you may get into, and products you’ll create, and literally any form of promotional material which might be required in the future.

Clothing, emails, text messages, videos; there are so many things onto which your logo may be attached, you’ll need plenty of time to think about it.

Of course, if you need some assistance thinking this stuff through, just get in touch with the Be Smart teamand we will happily lend you our expertise.

Branded vs non-branded: what’s the real difference?

If you head to Tesco (or your personal choice of supermarket), how do you feel when you see their own brand products versus the ‘proper’ branded stuff? 

This is probably how your mind works: 

Supermarket brand product: “That’ll do… It’s cheaper and it’s only a small ingredient.” 

Branded product: “Oh, I love their stuff and it’s good quality. I’m going to treat myself.”  

There’s one very good reason for this: that supermarket brand contains only one redeeming feature – perceived value. The branded product? That has far more going for it, because there’s meaning behind the name, packaging, and whatever it is that sits within the packaging. 

Arguably, the company behind the latter product has put far more effort into their brand. The supermarket hasn’t taken as much effort on theirs, because they don’t need to; those blue and white stripes are enough for people to recognise a cheaper alternative. 

For Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons, that works. But for your business? Would you really want your products to look non-branded? Spoiler alert – you definitely don’t! 

What is perceived value?

The product packaging and naming conventions used by supermarkets for their own-brand products has one very simple job. It needs to communicate a message to customers. And, in this case, that message is “I offer decent value but zero frills”. 

That’s cool, and there’s absolutely a place and audience for such products. But when it comes to brands like yours and ours, it doesn’t cut the mustard. We don’t want our brand to look cheap and boring because our clients aren’t cheap or boring! 

The net result? You won’t stand out, and you’ll be overlooked while potential customers go about making their purchasing decisions. Unless your goal is to create a value brand (as we’ve noted – there’s nothing wrong with that if it’s intentional!), you need to put more effort into your brand. 

Why is branding important for your business

The short answer to this question? When you put effort into your brand, it’ll stand out by a country mile – for all the right reasons. 

Those supermarket-branded products you see during your weekly shop have no meaning behind them – they just contain the message of cheap, uninspiring, with no frills. Unfortunately, we’ve seen lots of businesses do this – albeit inadvertently. 

Imagine a software developer who creates a brand which has zero personality, but which has one thing going for it: a lower price than the rest. It’ll be communicating a single message: “we’re cheaper”. When you’re cheaper, it’s a race to the bottom if there are no other defining factors. 

Is that sustainable? Potentially. Does it evoke quality and longevity? Maybe not. Is it capable of growing the business behind the brand and building a community around it of loyal fans and followers? Definitely not. 

Now, imagine that the same software developer decides to focus intently on the way its product is packaged. The fact it’s intangible is irrelevant – they can still package their software by adding personality to it on the website. 

Mailchimp is a great example of this. Whether you think it’s well-priced or not, you can’t argue that the brand isn’t ‘hit-you-in-the-face’ interesting as soon as you lay eyes on it. The people behind the brand have clearly put plenty of effort into it. As a result, Mailchimp customers BUY INTO the brand. They want to be a part of it; they want to join the club. 

Business Branding: It’s all about core beliefs

Tesco probably don’t care about the core beliefs behind their value brand. It’s why they’re constantly tweaking it to simply shout the word “VALUE!” louder. That’s their only USP. 

But your business? You want people to buy into it – you want people to buy into you. 

Supermarkets don’t want people to buy into their value range, because that’s of no value to either party. They simply want it to become the default choice for those looking to lower their weekly shopping bill, so they continue to shop with their store. On the other hand, the branded products in supermarkets want to retain a special place in people’s hearts – a place where price is trumped by brand magnetism. Surely, that’s what you want too, isn’t it? 

How do you know if it’s time to rebrand your business? 

Think of it as your business’s unique autograph in a world full of signatures. You want folks to see your brand and go, “Oh yeah, I know them!” 

But how do you know if it’s time for a rebrand? Well, you might need a rebrand if you’ve tweaked your product or service, shifted your business objectives, joined forces with another company, got a new team with a fresh vision, faced major shake-ups in your market, or found yourself struggling to stand out. Maybe you’ve even got a bit of a rep that’s not working in your favour. 

Is your head nodding along to any of these? Yep? We’ll it’s rebrand time, baby! 

How can BeSmart help you to brand your business?  

We’re a creative agency in the Midlands and we’ve been in the branding biz for over 30 years; that’s a whole lotta experience at your fingertips! We’re not just brief takers, we’re brief makers – which means we’ll help give your brand the perfect facelift with our tailored advice and expertise.   

Sound like we could be your cup of tea to work with on your branding journey? Then come say hi and let’s help your business shine! 

Please Don’t Rush the Creative Process When Creating Your Brand Identity

If there’s one bunch of workers who are particularly used to tight schedules, it’s those of us who operate within the creative space.

“We’d like our new logo yesterday, please,” is what a lot of clients might as well say, such is the speed with which they want their shiny new thing.

The problem is that you really don’t want to rush creative endeavours such as branding. The result is rushed ideas which get in the way of concepts that’ll never see the light of day, simply because they weren’t given enough time.

Here’s why you need to stop underestimating the time it takes to build a successful brand.

 

How long does branding take?

Do you want to be a pioneer or a follower? If it’s the latter, your brand can arguably be created pretty quickly.

But then, you’re simply capitalising on an existing product or trend, and that probably isn’t as sustainable – or exciting – as being a pioneer.

This is why people usually underestimate the time it takes to build a brand. They see something they like, and assume their own version of that logo, strap line, or website can emerge quickly.

They did it… why can’t we?

But there’s so much more that goes into creating a brand, and it all takes time.

 

How do you create a brand?

When businesses reach the creative phase of a branding project, they often think those tasked with the design simply hit the computer and ‘create’.

But there’s so much more to do before we get to that stage.

In fact, jumping straight onto the computer is the worst thing you can do during a branding project, because you’ll have absolutely nothing to go on other than a hunch or desire to copy someone or something else.

 

It starts with the competition

If you want to beat the competition at branding, you need to look at what they’re doing, first.

Simply dismissing their branding as “rubbish” isn’t good enough; which opportunities have they missed, exactly? What is it about their logo, colour palette, or website which jars? What have they got right?

Competitor analysis should take a long time – even if you only have one competitor. Assuming you can simply do betterwon’t get you very far at all.

 

Finding white space for your brand

Most creative projects take inspiration from elsewhere, but they don’t simply copy what’s already out there.

Think about it: if your brand identity is simply a “better version” (that’s subjective, anyway) of your competitor’s, how will you stand out? To onlookers, you may even be indistinguishable.

This is why it’s important to find the white space for your brand. It’s there, somewhere, and with the right branding, you’ll leap into – and out – of it.

That white space must enable you to stand out, but it must also fit – it needs to suit your business. Finding it isn’t a quick task but it’s a much more important one than creating a pretty logo.

 

Creativity creep: it’s OK!

We’ve all heard about scope and mission creep – they set projects wildly off course and needlessly increase delivery times.

But there’s one type of creep that’s OK: creativity creep.

Things change. New stuff is discovered. Sometimes, an entirely new route appears during the creative process which clearly needs to be followed.

Remember that white space your brand needs to sit within? Sometimes, it’s only discovered halfway through the project (that’s how hidden it often is), and when that happens, it’s important to follow your intuition and your nose.

This is creativity at work and it’s why it takes time.

 

Is it possible to gain a solid end date for a creative project?

No, it isn’t.

Let’s not beat around the bush – anyone who gives you a definitive end date for a creative project will either miss it or deliver something that isn’t worth the money you’ve paid.

Understanding how a branding process, for instance, will pan out, is incredibly difficult. This is the nature of creativity; new avenues can present themselves without warning.

Designers are a passionate bunch, but that’s what makes them so good at their craft. It’s also why we all have to concede that they’re not fond of being pushed.

Push a creative to do something more quickly, and you’ll receive a poor finished result. And that’s because they won’t have the time to explore the avenues that are likely to suit your business and place it within that all-important white space.

So, if you need a new logo, video or marketing campaign – don’t rush it or those undertaking it! The secret to great creative work really is… timing.

Need help with your creative project and want to avoid the perils of rushing? Get in touch with the Be Smart team, today.

Why Treating Branding as a Cost Is Commercial Suicide

We’re seeing far too many businesses not putting enough effort into their branding.

It’s a crying shame, because the rush to get a business up and running quickly by ‘knocking up’ a logo, strap line, and bunch of social media header graphics will result in more work further down the line. We know this because we see it such a lot.

Worse still, it’ll fail to attract the right kind of customer.

It’s commercial suicide – and that isn’t hyperbole.

 

Let’s throw out those branding guidelines, shall we?

Firstly, let’s get one thing straight – you need brand guidelines. The guidelines we’re referring to above are those which you may have been given as ‘advice’ when starting your business.

Why you need brand guidelines

According to your so-called-expert, they’ll form a super-simple, three-step process:

  • Step 1: Hold a half day strategy session internally to decide on your branding.
  • Step 2: List what you’ll need to create for that branding.
  • Step 3: Start with the logo and use it to quickly create all your other assets.

Easy, right?

Well, yes. But if building Rome was viewed as easy, they’d have literally done it within a day – and none of us would bother visiting it today.

Branding needs significant investment if it’s to be successful. While many smart business owners and start-up entrepreneurs understand this, far too many don’t. Or they think they can’t afford it when they’re just setting out.

But the truth is that if you invest now, you’ll avoid creating something which is crap, and, as we all know, ‘crap’ alwaysneeds to be reworked further down the line. Often sooner than you think!

 

Brand strategy cost: getting away from the ‘c’ word

Branding shouldn’t be viewed as a ‘cost’ by your business.

Think back to the last piece of equipment, software, or furniture you bought for your business. You did so because you needed it, right? It answered a need, filled a gap, or solved a challenge. It may even have enabled you to work faster and therefore make more money.

Branding is the same. It’s not a cost which is a pain to bear; it’s an essential part of your business which will attract the right customers without you having to lift a finger.

However, it will become a cost if you don’t invest properly from the outset. It’ll rear its head again when you discover that the logo isn’t professional enough, or realise your website is attracting the wrong audience.

Then, it’ll be something you have to spend money on – again. Whereas, if you invest correctly from the start, it’ll work handsomely for you – right from the off.

 

Why is branding so expensive?

It isn’t! This is a misconception, and again points to far too many people viewing it as a cost rather than an investment.

If you spend £10,000 on a piece of equipment which you know will increase your output by 20% and the quality of your product by 50%, it’s a sound investment; you won’t view it as ‘expensive’.

The same goes for your branding. It’s only expensive if you get it wrong or don’t spend enough on it to begin with.

Bring in the right agency (ahem), reserve a tonne of time for the task, and branding is about as cost-effective as it gets in terms of the results.

Why should I invest in branding early on?

Branding goes far beyond fancy logos and typography. It’s the essence of your business. This is why you need to spend more on it, right from the outset.

When done correctly, branding creates a personality for your company which is immediately obvious, and attractive for the right audience. Therefore, if someone has told you to “go easy” on branding to begin with, they’re not doing you any favours.

If your business is clear from the outset, it’ll naturally begin to attract the right type of customer. By comparison, if the branding is rushed and cheap, you’ll be starting immediately with an Achilles heel.

No business owner wants to sit around for months waiting for that first chunk of business to come in; we all want it from the start, and branding plays a huge role in that.

Have we whetted your appetite for a proper investment in branding? Good – you won’t regret it.

Just get in touch with the awesome Be Smart team to find out how we can ensure you invest wisely in this vital element of your business.

Key Signs It’s Time to Change Your Company Name

Did you know that Google used to be called ‘BackRub’? Or that Pepsi was once known as ‘Brad’s Drink’?

Thank God the marketing departments involved saw sense, right?

Only, changing your company’s name isn’t quite as simple as that. Beyond the obvious administrative hassle and expense that’s involved, people (both those in the business itself and its customers) get attached to names.

Even the team behind Yahoo! were probably rather fond of ‘Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web’ before they decided to switch it up. Or maybe they weren’t, actually.

The fact remains that these huge household names probably wouldn’t have been anywhere near as successful if they’d stuck with their original names. It’s why brand name matters – big time, and it pays to get it right.

How do I know if I need to change my company name?

We’ve worked with loads of companies on name changes, and it’s become clear that there are some common reasons for doing so.

So, in no particular order…

 

Reason 1: It’s just a bit… rubbish

That’s OK. Lots of company names are chosen quickly during those early days. Remember what Yahoo! used to be called.

Your company name should be something of which you’re proud and which distinguishes you from the competition. ‘Rubbish’ may therefore simply refer to the fact it’s too generic or doesn’t stick in one’s mind.

Acronyms are a classic example of this. If you settled on a three-letter name for your company, you can bet your bottom dollar there are countless others out there using the same acronym. And no one can remember the letters so they can’t search for you online or refer to  you.

If the name was simply ‘settled on’ when you first started out, that’s a brilliant reason to change it.

 

Reason 2: People are always getting it wrong

If you’re fed up with continually correcting people about your company name, or you have to spell it out over the phone, something’s wrong.

You may even find that people refer to you by a completely different name – maybe that of a competitor.

This is a classic case of brand confusion, and your business name lies at the heart of it. Company names need to be unique for this reason, but they also need to be easy to spell, say, and remember.

 

Reason 3: It’s a legacy name

We can’t tell you what ‘legacy’ means when it comes to your company name, because it’s very subjective – but we can help you spot it.

For instance, the company may have been named after the founder. (I’m talking to you, legal and insurance firms!) In some instances, this will work for as long as the company is in existence, but if the owner is long since deceased or has moved onto another industry (or competitor), you really should think about changing.

It may also be tied to a product that no longer exists or which is vastly out of date (we’ll get onto that in a moment).

Your company name has reached legacy status when it begins to feel at odds with what you’re doing now. And if you don’t have the legacy or recognition to justify the continued use of that name, the best thing you can do is find an alternative.

 

Reason 4: It’s tied to a location

Lots of businesses still choose a name based on their location. This is usually to establish trust within that area and help with marketing techniques such as local Search Engine Optimisation.

It works, to a point, but only if you forever reside within that location. What if you expand? More importantly what if the location’s presence in your company name is holding you back from expanding into new territories, or making you appear to be smaller than you are?

Simply removing the location from your name might work, but you could find that its absence then demands a full name change. And that’s absolutely the thing you need to do if it’ll help your business grow.

 

Reason 5: You’ve changed product strategy

Business names are sometimes linked to products. This is particularly dangerous, because most companies outlive each of their product lines.

Products evolve, change, and disappear entirely. What if your company name is linked to a product or service you no longer sell?

You may even have pivoted and entered into an entirely new industry.

If any of these things are true, your existing company name is probably a hindrance and, let’s be honest, a bit of an embarrassment. It’ll also cause total confusion with your new audience, so it really is best to get rid.

 

Things to consider before changing your company name

If you can identify with at least one of the reasons above, you might be itching to get started.

However, before you change your name, keep the following in mind.

  • You need a clear strategy: the reason your business exists, and its core values need to be taken into account when devising the name, otherwise it won’t help with your positioning.
  • Remember it won’t fix everything: a new name won’t improve your product reliability or stop customers from churning. Don’t allow the renaming of the company to brush the bigger problems under the carpet.
  • You’ll need the right resources: deciding on a new name takes time, experience, and skill. And for that, you might need some external help.

If you think you need that external help, you’ve come to the right place.

Get in touch with the Be Smart team to find out how we’ll ensure you find the perfect new name for your company and brand. You’ll find us on BackRub. Sorry, I mean Google. 😉

How do I find out who my ideal client is?

Did you know there’s such a thing as an unprofitable client? You’d actually be better off without them!

This comes as a surprise to many business owners.

Often, they’re clients who have been attached to the business for years and who have relentlessly requested product changes, additional support, and your undivided attention.

Only, they sit at the bottom of the pile when it comes to their contribution to your bottom line.

Then you have the clients you rank above them – those who barely murmur a word but who are happy. You get on well with them, and you work efficiently together. They see you as a trusted extension of their business. They EARN their place as ideal clients.

So, how do we find more of them?

 

Your ideal client questionnaire

Here’s bit of homework for you.

Ask yourself the following questions and note down your answers:

  • Who are your raving fans?
  • Who do you want to work with?
  • In which demographic do these people reside?
  • Which clients do you have who you like right now?
  • Who are profitable and don’t suck time away?

You do have fans among your customer base – every business does. But what’s their demographic? What’s their age, occupation and marriage status? Do they have kids? What are their hobbies and interests? Where do they shop? Where do they hang out? What websites do they visit?

This stuff matters more than you think. It’s why you need to walk a mile in THEIR shoes, rather than your own.

When you answer that final question above, the answers to the other questions should come a little easier. Just think about the clients you genuinely love and ask yourself why.

They probably don’t bother you much, and when they do, they’re full of praise and reasonable requests. And guess what? They’re probably all from a similar demographic with near identical requirements.

 

You MUST niche!

We cannot overstate this. ‘Niching down’ might be a slightly irritating phrase, but it’s the only way to build a successful brand.

Which of the following two statements sounds more primed for success?

“We sell candles to women.”

“We sell scented candles to women who are married with two kids. They work from home, regularly feel stressed, and look forward to some time alone at night, watching Netflix or having a bath.”

Immediately, that second statement paints a clear picture of the ideal client. You can see them. By comparison, the first statement is just a massive room of people, most of whom probably have zero interest in candles.

If you don’t find your niche, you’ll attract far too many of the wrong type of clients, and they’ll be unprofitable, unsatisfied, and completely devoid of any brand loyalty.

 

Where to start

The best way to find your ideal client is to place your current clients into three bands.

Warning: this requires ultimate honesty, and it may not be easy if you have good relations with certain clients.

Here are the three bands you’ll need to work on:

  • Band A: Great clients – you enjoy working with them.
  • Band B: OK clients – they pay on time, but there aren’t any fireworks.
  • Band C: Unprofitable clients – you do everything you can to avoid them, they constantly moan, or they take up inordinate amounts of your time. Your heart sinks when you see their name in your inbox.

You need more As and Bs, clearly. But that last point is where it can sometimes get rather tricky to differentiate a great client from an unprofitable client.

This is because clients who take up inordinate amounts of your time are sometimes the nicest. You may even count them as friends.

But are they your ideal client? If they’re constantly requesting changes and arguing for lower fees in-between chit-chat about your shared love of cricket… probably not.

It’s a pretty brutal process, but one which will lead you to a tightly defined ideal client.

If you need help with this, or any form of branding work, the Be Smart team can lend their considerable experience. Just get in touch today to find out how we can help you find out who your ideal client is, and how to speak to them with your brand.

Origins of Our Logo (and Why Symbols Matter in Branding)

On the face of it, the Be Smart Design logo is simple; it’s a circle with the word ‘BE’ in it.

There’s much more to it than that, though. What’s more, you’ll discover that circles are much more than shapes if you delve into the history books and study the ancient art of signs and symbols.

We know this, because we’ve got a tonne of books on the subject. It’s why we know that the humble circle which adorns our logo is also the symbol of the sun. And that really means something for our brand.

It suggests creativity and creation; two things in which the Be Smart team invests its time. That little circle means an awful lot to us, and our customers (even if they don’t know it!).

Puts a whole different spin on logo design, don’t you think?

 

Why signs and symbols are so important in logo design

Did you know there’s an arrow in the FedEx logo? Take a look and see if you can spot it:

Still scratching your head? It’s right there in between the adjoining letters ‘E’ and ‘x’.

Ah – there it is!

As symbols go, arrows are about as pointed (if you’ll excuse the pun) as they come, but this subliminal messaging inside the famous courier’s logo is an example of brilliant design. The clever use of the negative space between the last two letters has won the logo several awards and makes it one of the most effective ever created.

 

It also illustrates, literally, why symbols are so important in logo design. They aid visual communication.

If we go back to our logo, the presence of the circle isn’t an explicit message to our audience – it simply resonates with the historic meaning of that symbol.

The Be Smart logo is actually known as the ‘circumpunct’, which is nothing more than a circled dot. It’s an ancient symbol which, beyond the aforementioned sun reference, can also be used to represent the solar system.

 

Organising order from chaos

Every business can feel a little bit chaotic at times – particularly when you’re in the midst of it behind-the-scenes.

This is why symbols are so important for business owners and customers. They help organise order from chaos and, in business, do so by falling into one (or several) of these categories:

  • to identify;
  • to create value; or
  • to describe.

The trick lies in using a symbol creatively to make it aesthetically pleasing. That way, the message is more likely to be transferred to the audience and resonate with them as intended.

It’s also fair to suggest that the most successful symbols in branding are those that pull together different meanings.

Take Unilever’s logo, for instance, whose ‘U’ contains icons representing every aspect of sustainable living. You need to look closely to see them, but that’s the point; they’re subliminal.

 

The history of branding (but not as we know it)

These days, the term ‘branding’ is linked almost exclusively to the process of creating a public perception of a business, person, or product.

As you might expect, this wasn’t how it started.

In ancient times, ‘branding’ literally referred to creating a brand mark on either property or animals. The latter were branded (ouch) with a single initial letter to identify the farmer to whom they belonged.

If we move forward along the timeline a little, we reach the 1600s, which is the time during which symbols were starting to be used to create meaning in social standings and business.

This is the earliest example of symbols being used as logos, and the process itself has barely changed since then. Because it works!

One last point on the symbol we chose for our logo. It represents the point at which creation begins, and that’s so apt for what we do.

But what about your logo? Does it represent your business? Do you have a strong brand? If you need help linking your purpose to a symbol – just get in touch!

What is Neurobranding and When Do You Use it?

The most successful brands create indelible marks on your memory and emotional connections with you.

Take a huge brand such as Nike, for instance; you just know who they are, and what they do. It doesn’t require research or any form of fumbling through your memory banks – Nike is, simply, Nike.

The sportswear brand probably also makes you feel a certain way when you think about it, too.

The same goes for those smaller brands with which you fall in love. They successfully create a memory that lasts forever in your mind.

A marketer’s task is to first create that memory, and then associate it with qualities that make the brand or product valuable to its audience.

Neurobranding lies at the heart of this, but you’ve probably never heard of it! So, let’s dive in, shall we?

 

What is neuroscience?

Before we get onto neurobranding, let’s consider where it comes from.

At its most basic level, neuroscience is the study of the nervous system. It looks at the development, degeneration, health, and structure of this vital part of our being.

The human brain defines what we do and who we are, and it stores memories from which we can learn, develop, and grow.

It’s the neural pathways used to transmit information from the brain which neuroscientists are particularly interested in, and these play a massive role in neurobranding.

 

So, what’s neurobranding?

Originally developed as a concept in 1990, neurobranding (sometimes referred to as ‘neuromarketing’) focuses on the fact that 90% of thinking activity takes place at a subconscious level.

Imagine being able to tap into that subconscious as a marketer and impact on the brain activity that takes place within. That’s exactly what neurobranding is all about.

Humans are emotional creatures, and when we feel an emotion, we give it our full attention. Brands that are able to create an emotional connection with their audience are far more likely to grow and become more successful.

 

Mind games: Pepsi vs Coke

In 2004, neuroscientist Professor Read Montague scanned the brains of 67 people during a ‘Pepsi Challenge’.

The participants undertook a blind taste test of Coca-Cola and Pepsi and were asked which they preferred. Professor Montague discovered that different parts of the brain would ‘light up’, depending on the type of drink being consumed.

In particular, the ventral putamen (a brain region associated with seeking reward) proved to be most accurate when people sipped their favourite brand of cola.

When the participants were told they were drinking Coke, however, three-quarters of them said it tasted better, and their brain activity changed. The lateral prefrontal cortex, which governs cognitive powers, came into effect, indicating that they were relating Coke to past memories.

This is neurobranding in action. It doesn’t rely on any form of trickery – it simply knows how to tap into human emotion.

 

How will neurobranding help my business?

Neurobranding helps you increase the effectiveness of your campaigns by using science to inject your brand into the minds of your audience.

It might sound a bit Big Brother like, but it really isn’t. Applying this form of science to your brand simply heightens the value of it within your customer’s mind.

More importantly, neurobranding ensures you don’t invest in costly, ineffective marketing campaigns. And that’s because the people who discover your brand leave that interaction with that all-important indelible mark on their memory.

 

Does it help with rebranding?

Absolutely!

Rebranding is a tricky task, and one which can alienate huge swathes of your target market if you get it wrong.

By leaning on the principles of neuroscience, you can measure and test how people will feel when your business emerges with a fresh face. More importantly, you can predict how they’ll attach themselves to your new branding – or otherwise.

Remember, neurobranding is all about understanding how people respond to marketing campaigns and the way in which a brand presents itself. When a brand works in harmony with someone’s brain, the reaction is emotional, and there’s no greater way to build an engaged audience.

You’ve been hit with a lot of science in this blog post. But it’s science that really could help your brand. At Be Smart we love this stuff, and would love to chat it through with you in more detail if you’ve got any questions – just get in touch!

 

One is not on-brand! Rebranding by Royal appointment?

We’re big advocates for creating and using the right brand to attract the ideal audience and customers/clients/leads. Your brand is an attraction piece that is essential to get right if you’re going to be a successful business or run a successful campaign for your organisation.

Get the message wrong? Well… that’s never going to help you or your organisation and it’s certainly not going to attract the right people – it could well repel them, actually.

 

 

King George V knew this

As King to Great Britain between 1910-1936, King George V was also cousin to a German emperor, Wilhelm II and his Grandmother, Queen Victoria married Prince Albert (a German). This gave the British Royal family reservation to use the rather grand name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and an obvious German link that didn’t seem to be a problem in the early 1900s.

… but then on June 1917 a squadron of German Gotha IV biplane bombers set off for London to bomb the capital and kill innocent people, people that the King reigned over.

The German link to the bomber, the name ‘Gotha’ and the German links in the family caused quite the stir with the public. Of course, in the modern day it would have been all over social media and Google in minutes, but it was soon in headlines and the talk of the streets in war time Britain.

Things might have moved a little slower back then, but King George knew he had an identity crisis and he needed to drop the name before any more bombs were dropped on the Great British Isles. His son King George VI also had on going branding issues because he had to earn the trust of his own secret service during WWII because of his own brother Edward VIII being a known Nazi sympathiser.

 

 

 

Ich bin Windsor!

What the Royal brand needed was a name and an identity that resonated with their subjects (their ideal avatar if you will) and that meant ditching the ‘Gotha’ name for something more familiar and something more… British!

There were no names in the history of the Royal family that they could legitimately take – they could have taken any in history and they did but it was the name of a castle   and unlike a modern day rebrand, they couldn’t just have a branding session and brainstorm their brand purpose and go with it – it had to be correct.

They hit upon some inspiration at Windsor Castle while using the much-loved residence. They took the name from Windsor Castle and forever adopted it as their family name.

They rebranded from Gotha to become ’The Windsors’!

Genius.

It didn’t change the fact that the Royal family are of German descent, but it did change the overall ‘feel’ of the Royals. It did of course leave some much-needed brand guidelines to work with.

 

 

Royal brand guidelines

The name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was retired and hidden forever. Although a quick Google search now will throw up all sorts of content, many are simply told that the Royals are the Windsors, much like a Marathon is now a Snickers (although they did change back to mark the 30th birthday of the Mars owned chocolate bar.

We’re serious though. The rebrand was that simple… although it still takes a lot of time and effort to keep the new brand as the one that people use.

 

 

You can rebrand but you can’t hide

Minor details like the family owning requisite German uniforms (because the British King held honorary ranks in a number of German regiments) still remain in the Royal Collection to this day, they’re just never mentioned or displayed.

It’s a classic rebranding exercise and the results are pretty successful.

Of course, you’ve probably heard that the Royal family are German. From time to time, the anti-monarchy brigade will wheel that fact out and it’s unlikely that this is the first or last time you’ll hear about it.

It’s just not the common narrative about the Royals as since King George renamed them, they’ve done a great job of avoiding it in all media and correspondence.

The facts are there, but they’ve been largely (mostly) hidden from sight now.

 

 

Rebranding the Princess?

Lately there has been some controversy over the brand of the newly-wed Royal Harry and Meghan. The beautiful partner of Harry is of course not British either and many sceptics say that this just isn’t popular with the Queen, but we’ll leave the view of the Royal, German family to those who love a good conspiracy!

The real issue for the brand of the Royals is that Harry and Meghan have made moves to be ‘less Royal’ and of course this means that their breakaway brand “Sussex Royal” will need to be re-worked.

This will be no mean feat as they’ve managed to trademark the brand as well as amassing 10.8M followers on Instagramat the time of writing. One thing we’re sure of though is that their personal brands are likely to be strong enough to carry it off and help them continue to be a success.

But the Royal Family brand are making sure that the breakaway Prince and Princess don’t taint their brand values.

As daft or as fictional as this all sounds, it makes complete sense to be on both sides. On one hand the Duke and Duchess can’t be a Duke and Duchess if they aren’t willing to live the Royal life anymore, and on the other hand the brand of ‘Sussex’ in the context of the Royal family can’t be used as it could well be seen as a brand infringement.

It’s quite the fairy tale battle though and we’ll be watching it with much interest over the coming months.

Another Royal rebrand is upon us and it won’t be hidden in the archives thanks to social media and the 24/7 media online.

 

 

Need a royal appointment?

Rebrands aren’t just for Royalty. EVERY business, corporation and personal brand needs a solid brand that is differentiated from the rest and then sometimes – a rebrand and refresh.

Suddenly discovering your roots are no longer ‘on point’? Be Smart and give us a call now.