Monday 30 May 2011

How branding changes everything


Many years ago, a friend of mine was preparing to diversify his company in the real estate sector. He asked me how much should be the investment for a small thing like creating a logo for this new venture. He had two friends who were "part-time graphic designers" and he was thinking to ask them for the development of a logo for him. One of them had quoted him a few thousands rupees. Another was ready in a meal in a five-star hotel.
When I heard this, I just smiled. I told him this treatment for the logo of his company will be a tragic mistake. One that he would regret for years. I recommended him to go to a professional agency that qualifies for it.
Now his company is doing well.  He keeps telling me that initially he felt he had spent too much on branding, but finally came to realize that the logo was worth much more than the bucks spent on it. Many of his customers and stakeholders appreciated him for the entire branding calling it "cool", “contemporary”, “apt” and "cutting-edge." Now the logo is being used for his television advertising as well as on various merchandising like coffee mugs, pens and T-shirts. It’s a miracle of the right branding. 

 
Your brand is more than your name; it is your corporate character and identity. Your name and logo should tell people who have never been to your establishment about you. Your brand should be strong enough to convey a message and a feeling in an instant. When you run a small newspaper ad, besides a website, phone number and address, your logo should be able to tell the reader almost everything about your business. If your logo looks professional, it itself can become the driving factor for your business.


What is Branding?
When you are out to create your brand identity, first identify your target audience or market. Then ensure that your branding talks directly to them. For example, if your brand is about college goers, your branding should be youthful and colourful that can appeal to the youth who will probably be your main source of income.
Why Branding is Important
Your brand is more than your name; it is your corporate character and identity. Your name and logo should tell people who have never been to your establishment. Your brand should be strong enough to convey a message and a feeling in just an instant. When you run a small newspaper ad, besides a website, phone number and address, your logo should be able to tell the reader almost everything about your business. If your logo looks professional, it itself can become the driving factor for your business.
Branding involves logos, byline, corporate colours, templates, fonts and all dos and don’ts about the usage of these constituents.




Logo
Logo is the complete personality of a company, which is created on the basis of its positioning or its identity. Also the logo symbolizes a company and provides an image nothing else can provide. Great logos arouse interest and class, and become the interface between the company and the customer.
Usually branding professionals begin their work with thinking of a name of the company. In the next step, the visualization of the image is thought that reflects the name. That’s logo.
Byline
 After a logo, a powerful byline creates a huge impact. Byline is a short sentence that describes who the company is or what does it stand for. You can't undervalue the significance of a perfect byline for your brand.
Here’re few examples. One of our clients – Media Video Limited wanted to make a foray in the real estate business with a completely different identity. They came to us for complete branding solutions. After long hours of deliberations, we decided to keep the abbreviation of Media Video Limited for the new venture. It helped them encash the brand value and trust Media Video Limited had earned in the past. The byline, we suggested was – The three letters that’ll change a million lives. Before launching a campaign on the corporate strengths of MVL, we did a mega campaign only on its logo and baseline. These two things were telling the whole story in short. Needless to say, MVL instantly became a household name. And today, it is a renowned name in the business. 
When you think of a makeover or a new brand identity, think of the seriousness in the job. It can make or break your company’s image. 


-          Rajesh Goyal

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