Branding Archives - Ava Carmichael

Brand Identity Examples that are Crushing it

Looking to build your brand? These 10 Brand Identity Examples will show you what to do to crush your competition and build a brand that stands out in a noisy world.

What is Brand Identity and why is it so important?

Coca-Cola, Nike, Disney, Campbell’s, Google, Apple. All of these companies are more than just products. They are relationships. What they do visually, emotionally and even silently is why we connect with them as often and as deep as we do.

Branding is when you build a relationship with your audience because they resonate with your vision, values, voice and visuals.

Brand identity is, essentially, a brands’ overall personality. It isn’t just about their logo, products or services, it’s about everything that surrounds who and what they are. The brands I mentioned above are the epitome of what great brands do.

Social media has become so noisy and oversaturated that it’s nearly impossible to be seen and heard without a hefty marketing budget. But even with a hefty marketing budget, a lot of brands fail to woo their target audience. The reason? Weak brand identity and positioning.

With over 60 million businesses registered and active on Facebook alone in 2018, your first task is standing out from everyone else.

Having a clearly defined brand identity is crucial in building your business and getting it noticed online. Your brand identity is what attracts your audience and builds loyalty.

Also, creating brand guidelines is essential to staying consistent.

When creating a brand identity package, make sure to include the brand guidelines for your vendors, printers, new employees and social media agencies.

Great Brand Identity Examples

Forest Found has nailed it with overall visuals. The typefaces, colors, mood, and logo are spot on. And while I can see here that their mission seems to be about adventure, I’d be curious to know more about the value they bring and company values.

When creating your brand, it’s important to pin down more than your visuals. Take for example this brand identity prism of L’Oreal:

What is Intentional Marketing?

What does Intentional Marketing mean, and how should you be doing it??
Well, intentional marketing is a lot like great branding. Intentional marketing embraces the highest level essence of your brand and continues to offer value for its customers at every turn. It’s like a 4-star resort where no details have been spared. Always.

To be intentional in your marketing strategy means this:

You’re very in touch with your brand and company mission
You’re very in tune with your customer’s wants and needs
You consider the needs of potential customers
Everything you do and say has a purpose and leaves a lasting impression. (Even in the business cards you use or product packaging)
You see outcomes, strategies, and foresight in all of your marketing efforts
You aren’t lazy in your efforts and you’re always thinking of ways to woo your clients (your office is 100%, your website is 100%, the experience is 100%, marketing materials are 100%, etc)
You believe in details, quality and always strive to be above average and consistent with these aspects.

Examples of Companies Who Use Intentional Marketing

Apple, Disney, Nike, Tiffany & Co., Whole Foods Market are all great examples of companies who are great with intentional marketing.

Have you ever stayed at a Four Seasons Resort or visited Disneyland park or even purchased an Apple product? Everything that you experience from beginning to end with each one of those companies uses intentional marketing.

How do you Deploy Intentional Marketing Tactics?

Plan ahead. Always be planning ahead with your marketing strategies and goals. Plan every move precisely and with a clear vision of the outcome you’re seeking and execute that plan with your best tactics.
Understand the scope, objectives, and goals you need to reach. Plan according to who you intend to reach and how you plan to reach them. Depending on how wide or narrow your target audience is will determine how much money needs to be budgeted to execute properly, and far in advance you’ll need to plan.
Make sure you and everyone on your team clearly understand your target customers like they know their own friends. In my Branding Course, I teach ways to get to know your target customer like a personal friend. Learn her, know her and make her happy. Create all of your copy, creative around this special target customer. Stop trying to speak to everyone.
Use a project management tool like Trello, Asana or Slack. Keep your team and tasks tight! Stay on track and with the schedule.
Again, there is no such thing as over-planning. Rushing to market with a half-ass/half-executed marketing plan = wasted time, wasted efforts and wasted dollars $$$$$.
Once launched, measure results. If there is time and room to make improvements or adjustments, do it.
Once the marketing efforts are complete, measure again. Read the results and analytics of each campaign and determine ROI.

Intentional marketing means having an eye for detail, knowing what you want to accomplish, knowing your audience and brand and having the patience, capital and tenacity to stick with it and follow through with tight execution.

How to Get Clear on Your Brand Identity

Are you having a brand identity crisis? A lot of people, whether just starting out or not, reach a place where they question their brand identity. They aren’t sure what their message is, or they feel “all over the place.” Here is a quick exercise to help you get clear on your brand message and identity.

Getting clear with your brand identity can be simpler with the right questions

5 Steps to Get Clear on Your Brand Identity

It’s not always easy to see the big picture, and not everyone has the tools necessary to create the brand they envision in their head. Many times they are so busy building their products or service that they neglect the other aspects of their brand. Or, maybe they just aren’t sure how to get there. So how do you get crystal clear on your brand?

When working with clients, there are multiple stages we go through, but the FIVE main questions I always recommend asking yourself are this:

1. What is the overall message you want your brand to convey? In other words, how would you like your audience or the general public to perceive you upon first impression and as a continued experience?

2. List 3 attributes you’d like associated with your brand. For example, youthful, hipster, cutting edge, educational, fun, informative, entertaining, laid back, Southern charm, clean, simple, etc. Only list 3, any more than that and your brand message may get garbled or confusing.

3. What need are you filling in the market, or your market segment? Be clear and very specific on what you’re bringing to the table. What solutions, skills or service do you offer? What value are you giving to them?

4. Who is your #1 ideal customer? Think about who your ideal customer is and make sure your brand identity and voice is speaking to them, specifically.

5. Where do you want to go? In other words, get a mental picture of where you see your brand in 1-3 years. This will help you narrow down and focus your branded content. It will also help you to build a more solid roadmap and marketing plan.

I personally struggled with brand identity when I first started off as a consultant and freelancer. Even with a strong brand building and design background, I was struggling to see and manage my own brand. Crazy, right? Not really. Sometimes it takes another set of professional eyes to help you see what you can’t see.

Branding is built the same way across any widget, person, product line or service. Once I made that connection and translated what I knew about building apparel brands into my own brand, it got a lot clearer.

One client I worked with struggled with branching out beyond her yoga class business. She wanted to embody a full mind, body, spirit and wellness brand and position herself as an influencer of such. Once we knew where she wanted to go, we were able to tailor her content, posts and even website to point toward that message and goal. By creating a professional brand identity package and doing the work associated with her end goal, we were able to position her brand seamlessly.

The five questions exercise above is part of my branding methodology and will definitely help you get really clear on your brand message and goals. It will also help you to create a consistent brand message across your social platforms, and create your value proposition in the market.

Getting clear with your brand will also help you to achieve consistent and cohesive messages with your social media posts and ad creatives. Once you know what content consistently lives on your platforms and within your brand house, you won’t stray from it, and your audience won’t be confused and “tune out.”

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