Branding
“Know thyself” γνῶθι σεαυτόν
We have worked with dozens of companies in the core arena of branding. And feel that no other exercise is more important. At the center of branding is self knowledge. This includes accounting for all company values, beliefs, and especially core competencies. From there, we help create a multidimensional expression of the company, and then test that roadmap against actual customer experiences. When you then go to work with designers, developers, and marketers,… you can ensure that you are saying exactly what you want to be saying through their work to your customers.
Branding Is:
What a customer walks away with after experiencing your company, or even you personally.
A Simple Example of Branding:
We spent a day with a company a few years ago outlining their corporate brand in detail. We then handed the branding document over to our design partners on the project. Through the work with the design partners, we worked through 26 potential directions for the company’s new website. Not one, or two,… twenty six. The owners of the company settled on 3 directions. From there, we interviewed a few dozen customers, both those familiar with the company, and those with no exposure to the company. We tested their “experience” and “feelings” after viewing the website directions against our branding document. The end result was, a clear winner. And to this day, the company is thrilled with the look and feel of their website. Beyond that, they are relaxed in the knowledge that their “brand” is being accurately received by their visitors.
Through Branding, One Can Better:
- Understand and guide customer experience.
- Focus business through the company’s core competencies.
- Know what unconscious believes are driving business operations, and mitigate them.
- Feel the power of living your core values.
Branding is powerful. As powerful as knowing who you are, why you are here, and what your mission in life is. This knowledge must be respected. It builds employee pride, brand loyalty, and enhances mission driven corporate values. If one has an opportunity to truly know why one is here, and how others interpret them, by all means, one should take that step!
Copyright © 2010, Inspire Commerce.
Boulder, CO, 80304