There are a number of tell-tale signs that a business is in need of a brand repositioning or to have an update made to its corporate identity with the help of a corporate branding company. The characteristics of ineffective corporate branding can be explicit but often concealed by an ambiguous branding strategy.
The characteristics of ineffective corporate branding can be explicit but often concealed by an ambiguous branding strategy, but bBefore we look at the reasons behind reviewing an organisations branding strategy, let’s be sure to define what corporate branding is and what it means when a corporate branding company repositions a brand strategy.
Corporate branding companies refer to branding as the intrinsic message communicated by an organisation’s visible identity. An effective branding strategy is responsible for creating a (market) perception of a brand when customers come into contact with a company’s logo, slogan, packaging and customer service experience. Corporate branding or a brand’s design intends to take a visual representation of a brand and positively influence consumer behaviour and overall growth by imprinting a message in the minds of customers and elicit a positive relationship with the brand, often before the client has even concluded a purchase.
So what are the signs that an organisation would benefit from a corporate rebranding? To follow find 7 cues that a company needs to update its corporate identity.
1. A Brand Should Reflect an Organisations Character
A brand strategy is defined by the corporate identity and company behaviours inherent to the organisation, led by a specific set of values and culture. When a brand’s visual representation does not reflect the organisation’s ethos, this is a sure enough reason to engage with a corporate branding company for a possible rebranding.
3. Shared or Mistaken Identity
Corporate branding builds brand awareness through the use of a unique logo, slogan packaging, stationery etc. Branding creates a tangible and accessible experience for the customer to identify with during the various stages of the purchase lifecycle. Strong branding should be unique and differentiated from any other brand that may exist to ensure a memorable and distinguished imprint on consumer behaviour.
3. When Market Perception Meets Brand Reality
Effective brand management and the way in which a brand is positioned is critical to any brand strategy and can only be done through consistent communication and customer experience. When a customer’s need aligns to the solutions that a brand provides, and a specific brand springs to mind, the corporate branding strategy is considered successful.
4. Products versus Brands
Corporate branding markets the all-encompassing solution often communicated in a company’s slogan. Product marketing highlights the benefits and features of a specific product or service. When a corporate brand promotes product sets and not the business intent, a rebranding exercise is necessary.
5. Customer Relationships Rule
The only way a corporate branding company can take the tangible or visual representation of a brand and leave a compelling impression in the minds of prospective customers is through building positive customer relationships. When an organisation’s customer relationship game is strong, consumers are compelled to make a purchase based on the way they feel about the brand.
6. Z-MOT What?
Corporate branding activities are further reaching and vastly different to the marketing activities geared at promoting products. Efforts also extend further than simply inventing a catchy logo and slogan. The zero moment of truth (ZMOT) now influences the purchase lifecycle whereby, before engaging with a brand, customers turn to peer reviews, social media and evidence of topic expertise prior to making their purchase decision. Taking these factors into account, an effective branding strategy includes tactics geared at supporting a positive account of public relations, peer to peer reviews, forum discussions and testimonials.
7. Missing Your Market
Misunderstanding who your customers actually are versus who you think they are can be a costly misalignment to achieving an effective branding exercise. Marketing your brand to the incorrect target market will result in inconsistent, unconvincing messaging. Different target markets command different branding tactics which will need to be reviewed and realigned during a corporate rebranding.
Once the need for a corporate rebranding company has been identified, and the signs of a rebranding are recognised, corporate branding best practice can be effectively applied, maximum growth achieved and any future misalignment avoided going forward.
