It’s more than a logo: Upstate businesses are embracing and leveraging the power of their visual identity
Last week, one company’s branding efforts looked like this:
Greg Lee flies in from Chicago to spend the afternoon at the Commerce Club. But he can’t see the 17th-story view from a room where curtains are drawn, bright light shines in his face and staff from Redhype record him with three different video cameras at once. Using sports metaphors, he pretends to talk to an audience of executives. A large screen to his left echoes the logo on his crisp black polo and the cover of the “Playbook for Success” for new owners of his franchise. This mock presentation is for YouTube, where he hopes to reach a whole new audience.
All of this – the message, the image, the method – makes up the brand for Greg A. Lee and Associates.
Hot Iron on a Cow
The origin of branding is the stamp that ranchers would apply to their animals using red-hot iron. Many branding companies work in this vein, delivering a unique and consistent visual identity from logo to website to packaging.
All branding experts agree that visual elements are highly important. John Moore, chief operating officer at Brains on Fire, said details matter and he often judges a restaurant by its “please wait to be seated” sign.
“If a small business has just bought it out of a catalog, I say that’s a missed opportunity,” Moore said.
There are countless “touch points” that branding experts say make a difference. Jennifer Sutton, executive director of client services and strategic management at Jackson Media Group, points out that a company’s Web presence is becoming more complex because people use many different devices.
“Creating a website that looks the same and acts the same on a mobile device as it does on your work computer is something that companies need to start thinking about,” she said in a recent company blog post (jacksonmg.com/blog).
A brand is how you would describe a company if it were a person, said Sutton in an interview. It could be fun, old-fashioned, highly feminine or any number of descriptions.
Drew Harkins, brand strategist at Redhype, said a lack of uniformity dilutes an organization’s message. Still, those who have been in the business for a while agree that a logo is only a part of the brand. Clients often are not aware of this nuance, said Marie Dunn-Blough, Redhype’s owner and creative director. “I typically have to explain that, but it doesn’t take long before they agree with me or my team.”
Moore said he views a brand “as being a company’s reputation. Simple as that.” It matters how people feel and think about a company; why they believe it exists. When that reputation is poor, customers will be cautious and skeptical when dealing with the company, Moore said.
From the Top
Dunn-Blough suggested new businesses create their logo, theme and message early with potential audiences in mind. Her colleague, Harkins, said the best possible scenario for a branding company is to be able to give input, even at the product development stage.
Despite all the thought that goes into a solid brand, Moore said the great brands we all know never intended to be great brands. Favorable happenstance occurs when a company is focused on being profitable and keeping people happy, he said.
“What a lot of folks don’t realize is the importance of employees and making them happy, because brand is also company culture,” Moore said. “Those employees go out and talk about the company.”
Sutton said new businesses need to put quality controls in place early for how they will maintain consistent branding into the future. As businesses grow, making sure the brand is represented consistently from person to person and across all communications becomes more complex.
You Might Need a Facelift
For established organizations, there are several times to consider rebranding. Greenville Health System changed its name and logo in March, as did VisitGreenvilleSC, formerly the Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Both cited a shift in their identities.
“We were becoming more and more an integrated delivery system, but didn’t present like one,” said GHS marketing services director Sally Foister. The former Greenville Hospital System knew it was time for a change when customers were becoming confused by more than 30 visual identities associated with the health system.
Jennifer Stilwell, chief marketing officer for VisitGreenvilleSC, said dropping the outdated word “bureau” was among the motivations for the change. She said the group also wanted “a proactive, action-oriented welcoming name that quickly communicates the business we are in – tourism!”
Times of growth or change, such as offering new products or services, might require rebranding, experts say. Moore said a logo change can also be an easy way for new executives to make their mark.
Other more subtle changes may call for a company to consider re-branding. Sometimes clients recognize they lack a good story to tell about themselves, or they have lost what made their enterprises special. Failures prompt reevaluation, but so should stagnation after a period of success, he said.
“You might need a facelift, or potentially radical plastic surgery,” he said.
Brand strength can be difficult to assess, but determining Net Promoter Score (NPS) through surveys can help. An NPS gives a numerical indication of how likely customers are to recommend the brand. Still, Moore encourages some face-to-face input. Customers will be flattered and eager to help, he said. After all, that’s who is going to keep you in business.
