As humans, we are wired to attach meaning and identity to everything. It’s in our tribal nature, from what we wear to what kind of coffee we get. Find a person drinking Starbucks and a person drinking Dunkin’s, and ask them both, at the same time, which is better. Then sit back and watch the sparks fly as they defend their brand choice like it is their children.
As advertisers and brands, it’s up to us to give our audience a framework for this identity. As a company and a brand you need to figure out what you stand for, and then it’s up to your agency to communicate those values in every piece of advertising that’s made.
Remember the days of the repetitive commercials? When we had the pleasure of witnessing a mediocre commercial three times in a row? Well those were the days when repetition was used as a crude method of branding and getting a message to stick. Today advertising uses a more nuanced tool to solidify your identity and it’s called consistency.
Consistency in the tone, the message and design help to mould an image in your consumer’s mind. Take Apple’s iconic advertising for instance. From their TV spots to their print ads to their packaging, everything tells the same story. The story of sleek, clean and functional design that isn’t afraid to be different. And had Chiat Day not solidified this identity through their simple but brilliant ‘Think Different’ Campaign, there’s no saying where Apple would have ended up.
Now, you don’t have to spend millions to be consistent with your branding. All you have to do is sit down with your agency and discuss how you can create an identity with what you have. It might be as simple as having a color palette or graphic that’s represented in every piece of communication. Maybe it’s a tagline or an attitude that reflects in the copy. Even these small things done consistently can and have built the biggest of brands.
