If you’re considering a rebrand or a brand refresh, you should also evaluate the benefits of a brand evolution. Brand evolutions aren’t something new. For decades many beloved brands have chosen to evolve specific components of their brand identity over time instead of making drastic changes.
Read full articleA brand strategy is critical for any organization that wants to create a strong and recognizable brand. Whether the brand you’re building is for a business, non-profit organization, school, product or service, you need a robust brand strategy upon which to build your brand identity. We know there’s a lot of information and misinformation about what a brand strategy is and is not, so we want to share our perspective.
Read full articleExpressing a public school district's distinctive qualities in a way that is authentic and helps it stand apart from other schools and districts is one of the biggest benefits that a strong brand can provide.
Read full articleAs anyone who has ever launched a new brand knows, there’s a lot of time, energy, planning and soul that goes into creating the final product. Then, you launch it and watch it soar (you hope). But, what then? How do you keep it alive over time and prevent people from reinventing it, modifying it and misusing it?
Read full articleStrong brands are built on more than rigid adherence to a set of rules and regulations. They have personalities and soul. And there's an opportunity to express that soul at every touchpoint—whether it's print, electronic or interpersonal communications, a trade show or a promotion. As one of the first expressions of a new or revitalized brand, identity standards should convey the brand's true essence. They have the ability to generate enthusiasm and unleash the creative spirit.
Read full articleWhether you manage a B2B or B2C brand, if you own more than one, you’ve had to decide what type of brand architecture best fits your business strategy. So, what are the choices? And what makes the most sense given your long-term business objectives? Essentially, there are three options: branded house/monolithic, house of brands or hybrid.
Read full articleWhether you’re repositioning an existing brand or developing an identity for a new brand, product or service, your success depends not only on a distinctive brand strategy and visual identity system, but on a well-executed launch. If you’re repositioning your brand, you’re making a change and everyone who has a relationship with your brand needs to know about it. If you’re launching a new brand, you need to create that relationship from the ground up. Either way, your audiences need to hear about it repeatedly so they remember what your brand stands for and why it’s relevant to them. In the end, it’s all about creating loyalty so they choose your brand over the competition.
Read full articleRevitalizing a brand and developing a visual identity system that supports it, whether for a product, brand or an organization, touches everyone by the time it’s implemented. And, it’s no secret that it requires a substantial investment—both in dollars and personnel.
Read full articleAfter revitalizing an existing brand, or creating a new brand, there is the critical job of communicating your brand message clearly and consistently. And, it all starts with that first communication effort, the brand launch.
Read full articleWhether you’re managing your corporate brand, a strategic brand or a product brand, maintaining brand alignment within an organization is a key element in building the desired brand experience outside the organization. But keeping brands aligned internally presents ongoing challenges when employees come and go and the daily demands of running the business are top-of-mind for everyone, including the management team.
Read full articleAnyone who has acquired a brand and integrated it into an existing portfolio can attest to the multitude of issues that need to be addressed. From brand name retention, parent company endorsement questions and managing customer perceptions, to brand mark, trade dress and personnel issues, the list can appear to be endless.
Read full articleOnce you have outlined a well-articulated brand strategy, you know that you need to manage your brand against the strategy and implement accordingly to achieve your brand vision. The challenge, however, is executing against that strategy consistently over time. And things become more complex if your brand is wide-reaching involving employees, customers and suppliers worldwide. This is where audits can be extremely helpful.
Read full articleMany marketing and branding books are filled with examples and case studies about consumer brands, but leave us wanting more information on business-to-business brand building. So it’s our intent in this newsletter to offer some perspective on building business- to-business brands.
Read full articleWhether you’re managing your corporate brand, a strategic brand or a product brand, maintaining brand alignment within an organization is a key element in building the desired brand experience outside the organization. But keeping brands aligned internally presents ongoing challenges when employees come and go and the daily demands of running the business are top-of-mind for everyone, including the management team.
Read full articleWhen you consider all the points of engagement that carry your brand identity, and the cost associated with redesigning all of them, the idea of making the investment to redesign everything from your brand’s logo and visual identity to creating the necessary brand guidelines to enable consistent expression may seem like a monumental task. Additionally, you may suspect that a new brand name would serve you better, but you aren’t sure. Will it help you stand apart from the competition and help increase brand recognition?
Read full articleA visual identity system is a critical investment in your brand to build familiarity and recognition. You might be thinking, “What is it exactly, and why do I need one? Isn’t our logo enough?” Comprised of a color palette, typography, imagery—from photography to illustration—grids and graphics, a visual identity system gives your audiences cues to associate with your brand beyond the logo.
Read full articleWhen it comes to the term “rebranding” we’ve learned that there are about as many perspectives as there are marketers in this world. What we know for certain after focusing on brand identity development for more than 25 years is that in order to truly reposition a brand, the work MUST go far deeper than a short-term advertising or branding campaign.
Read full articleWe all know from personal experience the power word of mouth has. Maybe a rave review from a colleague convinced you to hire a particular supplier. Or a negative experience at a local restaurant caused you to tell your family and four neighbors not to go there. Or a positive interaction with a customer care representative motivated you to blog with fellow techies about a wireless provider’s great service.
Read full articleStrategic and discerning, identityWise® shares our perspectives on branding. We explore the brand issues that matter to you. From positioning and brand management to identity design. Actionable insight awaits.