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How to Build a Winning Brand
Create your image, get known and give your
customers what they want. Just leave the ego at home.
Of all the startup brands, Starbucks still represents the gold standard.
Starbucks made the
mundane act of buying a cup of coffee into an experience. It did so by creating
a memorable brand: a unique name and a memorable logo that made coffee not just
coffee, but a welcoming, comfortable place to go and be seen.
The Starbucks brand
created a culture. Here's a look at how yours can do the same.
Step 1: Craft your image
Creating a brand perception requires intrusion. You are trying to position
yourself with people who don't want to change their purchasing decisions. Your
brand must be powerful enough to force them out of their routines.
It all starts with a
name. With enough frequency of the message, any name can become memorable. That
could be a name that explains, like Jiffy
Lube or Toys"R"Us.
Maybe it's a made-up word or obscure reference, but one with the power to create
a lasting emotional connection (think Starbucks again). Obscure brand names are
unique from their competition and often become among the most memorable. It
could also be a family name, which implies the person behind the brand name has
a credibility to be in this business, a pride of workmanship and a moral
standard.
Your logo is just as important as your name. The logo is the first
visceral connection the consumer makes with the brand. It triggers the brand
perception. The first measure of a logo is that it answers questions: Who are
you? What do you do? What's in it for me?
There are other
practical considerations in logo design:
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It must reproduce well in various sizes and media.
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It should reflect the sensibilities of the target audience.
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Its intention and message should be perfectly clear.
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It should be easily and uniquely recognizable.
At its best, a logo should convey an emotional
connection as well as personality. The cleverness in a conceptual logo should
get a reaction--an "aha!" --while conveying what you do and capturing
the personality of your business.
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