a powerful brand shapes audience perception.
Through visual touchpoints – corporate identity, digital media and marketing collateral – coupled with sound marketing strategies, companies build their brand arsenal. That's what brand management is... employing the right tools at the right time.
the three essentials
Through the years we have come to realize that a company's brand can be divided into three basic categories:
- brand core
- major touchpoints
- minor touchpoints
Brand Core
The brand core is the heartbeat of the company. It starts with the personality and energy of the management of the company. This personality along with the following brand staples make up the brand core:
- management (personality of company)
- company name
- logo/logotype
- tagline
- corporate colors
- corporate fonts
Almost any time a company has a problem with its brand it can be traced back to a deficiency in one of these core brand elements. It is critical that all of these core elements be established before moving on to any major or minor touchpoints.
major touchpoints
Major touchpoints are marketing vehicles used to communicate a company's brand to its customer base. These may vary from company to company, but here's a list to give you the basic idea:
- stationery
- social media profiles
- website
- kit cover
- brochure
- advertising campaigns
- packaging
- sales sheets
- postcards
- fleet graphics
- trade show booth
- outdoor/indoor signage
These major touchpoints will vary from one company to another on levels of importance. If a company's product is web based, then an online presence would obviously take precedence over something like a kit cover or corporate brochure.
minor touchpoints
Minor touchpoints are elements that help make up a company's brand and may or may not be in direct contact with the customer. These help support the brand but aren't as critical as the major touchpoints.
- newsletter
- fax forms
- posters
- company uniforms (hats, t-shirts)
- intranet
- employee ID badges
All of these elements working together cohesively makes for a solid brand. Again, the goal is to bridge the gap between the company's and customer's perceptions of the brand. Having a proper understanding of the brand makeup is critical to achieving this.
If you are interested in having us create, refresh or support your brand, feel free to contact us to check our availability.
