Strong brands: 5 areas of focus for brands that really want to succeed

New media platforms. New competitors. New consumption patterns. It's only getting harder to create commercial success. To build a brand. But in tough times, a strong brand is no longer just a nice-to-have; it's a necessity to stand out and engage customers. In this blog post, we'll explore the importance of strong brands and share key factors that can help you build a solid brand strategy.

Why bother with branding?

Isn't it more important to be agile and constantly adapt to the market? The point is that a strong brand allows you to be agile, yet purposeful and relevant. It gives you a foundation from which to build different communication concepts, a direction to focus your creativity and energy.

Arguments such as the fact that solid brands can also charge more and usually get more clicks in Google and other advertising also weigh in. But we dare to say that the most important benefit is the focus it gives the organization.

What do successful brands do? 

There are many paths to Rome, but we'll go through 5 elements that we believe are important in long-term brand building.

1: Purpose: Define your brand's purpose and values

A clearly defined purpose and values give customers something they can identify with. It creates positive energy. Do I share these values? Do I want to be part of the journey this brand is on? Does this brand represent something good in myself? Does this brand bring me closer to the person I want to be?

Patagonia, known for outdoor clothing and gear, aims to "build the best products, cause minimal harm and use their business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis". They actively engage in sustainability initiatives such as their 'Worn Wear' program, which promotes the repair and reuse of clothing to reduce waste. By focusing on sustainability and quality that lasts, Patagonia has built a highly loyal customer base that shares their environmentally conscious values. No one feels guilty about buying a Patagonia garment.

"Our purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being." says the Purpose Statement of the investment company BlackRock. They have a completely different business than Patagonia, and completely different values, but it's just as easy to understand what they're trying to achieve. 

2: Consistency: Execute and control your brand identity

A strong brand is recognizable and consistent across all channels and touchpoints. This includes everything from logo and colors to tone of voice and visual style. Brand identity. Maintaining consistency builds trust and credibility with customers.

The work put into creating and anchoring a design manual will pay off a thousand times over for the brand. But it requires implementation and - to repeat ourselves - anchoring! The entire organization and all partners must understand that they must not deviate from the guidelines set by the brand.

Apple is perhaps the crowning example of consistent brand identity, from the iconic bite of the Apple logo to the minimalist design of their products. They are fierce in all negotiations with local creators, keeping the impression of a beautiful minimalist innovator in check.

3: Storytelling: Strong brands connect with the emotions

A good story conveys values much more effectively than facts. But it has to be real, and it has to be relevant. The Post could have Pride flags and diversity certification at all ends, but they would never have achieved the impact that the "When Harry Met Santa" commercial did. It triggered the emotions.

It's not easy for most people to compare themselves with Posten, but when such a large organisation dares to pull the string so far, you should also be able to dare to play on emotions. You just have to figure out what values you want people to associate with you and create stories around that. Good creative experts are good at this, but storytelling doesn't necessarily have to be about creativity. But it has to be authentic.

Take shoe manufacturer TOMS, who donated a pair of shoes to the poor for every pair they sold. By sharing stories about how their donations helped the people who received the shoes, TOMS inspired customers to become part of their mission. The "Buy-One-Give-One" story was so powerful that they actually had trouble giving away enough shoes. 

TOMS has discontinued the give-away-shoes tactic now, and gone for a slightly paler we-are-giving-1-third-of-profits-to-good-cause variant. But they still tell different stories around their purpose that "We@re in business to improve lives". 

4: Service and customer experience: Don't mess up the branding job!

We build brand to create trust and sell more. We want to motivate people to buy from us and use our services. Strong brands know that good motivation quickly disappears if the buying experience is poor. If the user-friendliness of the online store sucks. If the delivery is late. If the people you meet in the store are angry.  

Consumers expect good service. They expect free shipping when they spend over a certain amount. They expect easy returns. They expect quick responses from customer service. Worst of all, online, they don't compare you to your competitors: They're comparing you to the best customer experience they've ever had.

In the past, great customer experiences could actually be the brand, but it's become more and more standard. You don't stand out by providing great customer experiences, but you're guaranteed to lose if you DON'T. AND then all the work on the brand is in vain.

That's why you also need to work with what we call service design in a branding process. How do we ensure that all customer touchpoints are as seamless, simple and engaging as possible?

Amazon is often the gold standard for customer experience. User-friendly interfaces, fast delivery and, not least, a high degree of personalization. They offer tailored recommendations and customized shopping experiences. Personalization is a little more difficult for us in Norway, as we have to take into account GDPR, consent and a set of rules that is completely different from the US.

5: Build social responsibility and sustainability into the brand

"Refresh the World and Make a Difference" (Coca-Cola)

Sustainability and social responsibility have gone from being a platitude to a fundamental part of doing business. You won't be taken seriously by customers if you can't show how you're working to make the world a better place. 

That's why at Mission we always talk about 'meaningful goals'. When there's a bigger goal than making money, it inspires commitment, loyalty and passion. From both customers and employees. It builds brand. 

So ask yourself what problems your brand is trying to solve and how it relates to bigger problems in the world. What is it that makes you go to the office every morning? 

Do you find it difficult?

The UN has set 17 sustainable development goals with 169 targets. Take a look through them and see if there is anything that strikes a chord with you and your business. You're guaranteed to find something that your brand can contribute towards. Make a difference!

Conclusion:

Building a strong brand is an ongoing process that requires focus, dedication and constant adaptation. But by defining a good purpose - a purpose - you create the foundation for good brand building processes. 

Feel free to contact us at Mission if you need a partner in your work.

We hope this blog post has given you valuable insight and inspiration to strengthen your brand.