Conceptual thinking strengthens your brand

A brand requires a language. Selected words. Solid or bold phrases. Expressions that make an impression. A manner of speaking that is recognisable. All the elements that show the brand's purpose or illustrate the actual product and that make it possible to distinguish your company from those of the competitors. How can well-considered conceptual thinking regarding the brand language help the company with the financial side of things?

Can I have both!?

If you want to think conceptually, you must be sure to create an interaction between the visual brand identity and the verbal brand identity. I wouldn't go as far as to say that one is worthless without the other. This is certainly not the case. But when you achieve a branding whole between what is said and what is shown and, in addition, the product or service is relevant in the market, you will generally have something worthwhile being proud of.

The surprise

The Norwegian TV series Skam (Shame) is attracting a lot of attention, both here at home and internationally. Many of those who follow the series are hugely surprised that they personally have become so absorbed in how things are going for a crowd of 17-year olds in Oslo. The language used in Skam and the manner in which it is shown are part of what gives this concept credibility. What we see is a result of a great number of interviews of young people of the right age and a desire to create a series on the young people's own terms, including using exciting text messages, social media etc. It is incredibly recognisable and executed consistently. This series dares to be low-key and, for example, show scenes of someone pressing the buttons on their mobile phone. There is a common threat throughout and, even if those behind this project perhaps never thought of Skam as a brand when they planned it, it has undoubtedly gradually become one.

The self-praise

When we to relaunched the banking alliance that was previously called Terra under the new name of Eika , it was necessary to organise the conceptual brand language during the process. The impression given was that Terra conducted itself more like a large bank instead of the union of local banks it was supposed to be. It was on the other hand the local companies and private individuals in the local communities that it was important to deal with, and the language was an important part of this. Not only did Eika get the pay-off "At Your Side" (Ved sin side), which was in harmony with what they were supposed to be for local banks and customers, but this also permeated the rest of the language used. In both what we wrote for Eika and what they wrote themselves.

What conceptual traps can you fall into?

Not changing

If you have a concept you believed in when it came into being, it is easy to fall in love with the greatness of the past and far too tempting to try to recirculate the old formula for success. Both Nokia's products and the language associated with them had been such a huge success that the Finnish giant didn't bother launching itself in the direction of the "flip phone" and probably lost billions due to that decision. Kodak and its Instamatic was another conceptual package that didn't move when the rest of the world did. ”Never change a winning team”, they say. The balancing trick has to be making changes just before you start to lose out. This is obviously easier said than done.

Changing

Sometimes changes are worse than anything else. It can often be tempting for a self-assured soul to think that change = improvement. This is not always the case . Obviously, this is about which conceptual gambol you have chosen to implement, but there is no shame in realising that you already have the concept that serves you well. Calling the actual original Coca Cola Classic is recognised as a general blunder in the history of branding, but the Coca Cola Company is a place where "money talks", so they relatively quickly accepted the consequences of the blunder instead of forcing it through.

Miscalculating your own size

You need to have a certain volume to get away with linguistic generalities such as "is it" or "just do it". In order to succeed with the kind of "Coke is it" or "Just do it" message, it helps to be big enough to carpet bomb your target group with the message and associate as much eye candy with these words as possible in order for them to make sense. If you are a much smaller player, with fewer bars of gold in the bank, it may be necessary in some industries to have a somewhat more specific, revolutionary or provocative message to attract attention in the wider context. If a gnat becomes too general and vague, there is some danger of it ending up only marketing the biggest players in the market it is trying to get into. On the other hand, it is easier for a small company to communicate and interact in a more genuine and intimate manner. The perception of the brand can be cultivated on the basis of the common information that holds the organisation and concept together. Here, you can promote ideas that the employees can accept and ideally identify with.

Forgetting the contact points between the customer and the product

In a good concept, all elements of the user experience speak with the same voice, or with several voices that sound good together. When you buy a new car, at least five senses are involved in the selection. Trial and error, sniffing, brooding, pricing, negotiating, reading brochures and websites, contributions from friends and acquaintances, editorial recommendations, blogs, car dealers and points of sale, to mention just a few, are not uncommon approaches. Some people shoot from the hip while others dwell so long that the new car is no longer a new car by the time they make up their minds. And it is good to confirm to those who have made up their minds that they have made the best decision because then these people are the best ambassadors you can think of for the future. In other words, there can be an incredible number of points of contact between a brand and the recipient of its marketing, and most of them are important. If the statements we produce are badly calibrated in relation to the target groups' perception of reality we run the risk of being left holding the baby .

Brand language challenges

The language chosen for a concept should colour all the encounters we have with the target groups and the world around. How do we speak in newspaper ads, in radio ads, on TV, online, in the social media? What does the CEO say when he is being interviewed on TV or in the newspapers? How do we speak to each other and what form does the Internet communication take? Do we have a clear concept that makes is possible for us to obtain the new employees we want, and in particular, those we really should have? Here, we need to watch our step - and not totally depart from the concepts ...