At THE POWERFUL BRAND GROUP, we see the brand as the heart of an organisation.
A brand is not just a name or a logo. A brand lives in people’s minds; that is, people's perceptions and memories from their experiences and interactions with a brand.
#1 MAKE IT DON’T FAKE IT
I’ve never liked the phrase, fake it till you make it. I understand its idea and how this advice is given with good intention. Yet I still cringe when I hear the words. Ask yourself: if a brand was to fake it till it makes it, would you be genuinely interested?
What has that got to do with branding? People can be considered brands – and when you bring your authentic self and speak from a place of confidence (without the need to fake it), optimal outcomes are more likely to be achieved. It’s the same for organisations and their brands. When a brand is for-real, it can connect with its desired audiences through shared values to achieve its purpose. Strong values and a clear purpose are the cornerstones of a powerful brand.
So how do you build your powerful brand? Some will tell you to just jump into it. To come up with a name (and make it punchy), to create a logo (and make it funky) and just start, revising as you go. Others may advise you to dig deep, research, understand your audience and take all the time you need to delicately craft your offer.
Frankly, the latter was my approach when I started working in branding over two decades ago. Today, I work somewhere between the two approaches. However long you have, and whether the brand you’re building is personal or for business, the key to a strong brand is staying authentic, no matter what.
#2 ASK AND TRULY LISTEN
Most of us know that authenticity is connected to having a purpose or a sense of meaning. Many brands believe they are driven by a purpose - but are they? Asking yourself why your brand is in business and enquiring if your target audience clearly understands your motive is vital to clarifying your brand’s purpose and truly connecting.
To find examples of powerful brands with inspiring purposes and values we don’t have to travel far. Some incredibly successful and authentic brands have been built right here in Australia. Canva, for example, states on their website that they exist “to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere” – and how beautifully they are living up to their word! If we don’t have to go that far, we don't have to go that big either.
Another great example of an inspiring and successful brand is OzHarvest, whose mission is to “nourish our country” by stopping good food from going to waste and delivering it instead to charities that help feed people in need.
I encourage you to talk to people and ask them what they think your brand is really about. I say people because I mean everyone that you have the opportunity to chat with. Yes, ask your employees and of course your clients and stakeholders. But why not also ask your friends, family and even your neighbours about your brand?
A simple, effective technique is to ask people to summarise what your brand is all about using just three words. You could also invite them to complete a simple sentence, e.g. “Your brand is…” The results will give you a diverse overview of how the world views your brand, allowing you to take action accordingly.
#3 MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
In my career I have been inspired by passionate leaders and warm-hearted colleagues who recognise the importance of caring more than knowing. Theodore Roosevelt’s words summarise the concept beautifully: “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”
People have sometimes tried to help me “manage my passion” by advising me not to take work too personally. I must disagree. I can’t help but think that caring and “taking it personally’’ is how brands (and individuals) can truly be of service, bring their best out into the world and succeed. I’d love to have the opportunity to ask Melanie Perkins, Cameron Adams and Cliff Obrecht from Canva and Ronni Kahn from OzHarvest for their view on this. I guess that they have all taken their work quite personally!
Because we are talking about branding, I think it is important to discuss marketing and how the two things differ. I put it like this: if a brand is the heart of an organisation, marketing (and communications) is the voice of that brand. To make it clear and count, ensure that your brand messaging is consistent and aligned to your brand purpose and that the tone of voice is in sync with your brand values.
Great marketing will go further, helping your brand to be heard and seen in the right places and times, but message and voice should be the primary role of marketing. And the rules of messaging and tone should apply when communicating internally and externally, with employees, clients, shareholders, your community or any other stakeholder.
Make your voice clear and make it count! As for the question of which step – marketing, communications or branding – comes first, the answer comes easy: ALWAYS start with your why. Brand comes before everything else. And that is a matter of knowing your organisation’s heart.
Florencia Tarelli
