A new brand strategy, what's in it for me?

Can I also have a logo?

The face of a brand, the logo, is only a small part of a brand. Even though this small building block is a fundamental one, at best it rests on a sense of purpose that embodies the values and services of a company.

A logo on its own can say everything and nothing. Only with a solid, well-considered strategy and experience behind it does it form a meaningful, recognisable mark that conveys predefined qualities.

Effective communication of company values, services and experiences does not happen overnight. For a newly emerging brand it is an advantage to work from a blank sheet. In many cases, however, that is not the situation, and a brand has already existed for quite some time.

The principle of the brand concept stays the same in both cases, only the starting point changes. What does your company offer, which values do you want to communicate, who is your target audience? These are all questions you can and should ask at every stage of a company's growth. An effective brand concept does not only define these qualities, it also questions the current state. That way you are equipped not only for present but also for future expectations and requirements, and you can pursue long-term goals.

A logo alone is not up to this task and can only communicate precisely through supporting processes and a foundation of well-considered components.

But everything is fine as it is, isn't it?

Let sleeping dogs lie. This maxim may well make sense in everyday life, but in the life of a brand and the company attached to it, it causes a standstill in growth.

A plateau in your company's growth is reached quickly. Pushing the status quo aside, not questioning it and staying on the chosen course usually ends in exactly this position, stagnation, where everything stays as it is and does not change. In most cases this plateau tends to break off after a while rather than rise, unless you use the right means and tools to prevent it.

For companies and brands that want to achieve steady growth and swim with the flow of time, it is essential to optimise existing shortcomings and build on proven processes. It is no coincidence that large corporations rethink their brand at regular intervals, reposition themselves and adjust how they present themselves. The relationship between the frequency of rebrands and relaunches and company size rises in a linear fashion, just like the new demands placed on your company every day.

For this we have developed a three-pillar model based on many years of experience, which presents the concept behind a successful brand in a simplified way and categorises it into clear building blocks that are easy to start from.

Strategy, identity and experience

The positioning of a company is not only the starting point of a successful and coherent brand concept, it is also a decisive guide for the growth of a brand. Do you establish yourself in an oversaturated market with hundreds of competitors, or do you create new segments in which you can expand? Positioning and strategy deal with these and similar essential questions, identifying shortcomings and problem areas. Optimising these and, ideally, eliminating them is a process that can and should be carried out at any point in the life of a brand. Defects, gaps or deficits often creep in unnoticed over the years and can then be addressed through process optimisation.

Highlighting unique features is another way to build a strategy that delivers results. What makes you stand out, what makes this company different, what are the most important features? Why do customers come to you and not to your competitor? If you cannot answer these questions clearly, it may be time to reassess your position.

Overall, when we talk about strategy, we mean aligning future goals with current needs. The strategy helps your company get to where it wants to go.

The strategy communicates through identity by means of the experience. In this sense, a brand concept is a self-contained system that addresses and unites the interests, requirements and goals of not only your company but also your customers. Bringing the key message that underlies the identity to the outside world efficiently is part of the experience, also called the brand experience. Through digital and physical touchpoints (website, banners, business stationery, etc.), the brand finally reaches the goal of communication. 

A website that has been "running" for 10 years, a logo inherited from the previous generation, all of these are signs that can point to an ageing and stagnating brand. Since the line of communication only ends with the touchpoints in real life, the level of the plateau is usually found further back in the chain, from where the shortcomings seep through. Starting at the source of the cause therefore usually has the greatest effect, but our framework for brand conception is flexible, so that we can join you at any point of brand communication.

Can I dare to do this?

Going through a discovery process is no small undertaking. We deeply understand that this can have a major impact on your company, but that is exactly its purpose. As an experienced partner at your side, we guide you through every step of a new or revised brand concept and work together with you towards a successful future.

The harder question is, why should you not dare to do it?