Explore the possibilities of a brand refresh.
Brand
A full rebrand for any size or shape organisation can be a very long, stressful, and often expensive process which can often keep the idea off the agenda. What should be a lot closer to the top of the marketing todos is to look at the opportunity for a brand refresh.
As you will have no doubt spotted, we’ve undergone somewhat of a refresh ourselves. The logo has remained untouched but we’ve updated our photography, tweaked our colour palette, added some additional illustrative elements and swapped out our choice of fonts.
Here are a few reasons we’ve taken things back to the drawing board and why you might want to consider doing the same… It might just be what your brand needs right now!
1. Staying Relevant in a Dynamic World
Change is the only constant. Your brand might have once been a real showstopper but hey, times change, and so do your clients and prospects’ preferences. A brand refresh allows you to stay relevant and appealing in an ever-evolving market. It’s not about losing your identity; it’s about evolving it to continue captivating your audience.
2. Reflecting Growth and New Directions
Growth is great, but it often means your brand needs to catch up. A refresh can signal to the world that you’re not just growing, but evolving too. Maybe there are new and improved services on offer? It could be your company vision and values have been redefined. Your brand should mirror this transformation, telling a story of progression and ambition.
3. Differentiating in a Crowded Market
Let’s face it; our market (and more than likely yours) is now probably more crowded than the M25 at rush hour. The brand refresh is going to be a great way for us to stand out from the crowd once again. By tweaking our colours, tone of voice, and the look and feel of our assets, it will help keep us distinct and memorable.
4. Revitalising Internal Culture
Our brand refresh isn’t just for our customers and prospects; it’s for the team too. Since undertaking the process, everything’s got that shiny new feeling again, the team has a renewed pride in the place and as a consequence, productivity is up. This process can be an incredible opportunity to boost morale and foster a sense of pride.
5. Harnessing the Power of Digital Transformation
In today’s digital-first world, your brand needs to shine online. A refresh can ensure that your brand is optimised for the digital landscape, from user-friendly websites to eye-catching social media presence. It’s about creating a seamless, engaging digital experience for your audience.
6. Sparking New Interest
Finally, a brand refresh can reignite interest in your brand. It creates a buzz, generates curiosity, and could even re-engage former customers. This buzz won’t just happen, it will need to be planned and supported in the run-up to your big reveal. Behind the scenes here we planned, wrote, scribbled, binned and argued before finally agreeing on the best strategy for making sure everyone sees and hears about our refresh.
If any of what I have listed above resonates with where your brand is currently at, and if you’re thinking it might be time for a change and want to chat through some ideas, get in touch.
Your brand is your greatest asset…
Brand
To protect and grow, we must first have systems to check in and confirm everything is as it should be. Blair outlines theirs in the above document, but you could create your own as long as you have a way of reviewing. Combine these with physical results from activities, and you’ll have a fantastic way to measure your brand performance. Review, and you’ll have results – Hopefully it’ll be a positive thumbs up, may be a thumbs down or not conclusive. Either way, it’ll give you facts to consider and act upon.
So, your brand is your greatest asset – What will you do for it moving forward?
How can social media increase brand awareness?
Brand
Most businesses will know that brand awareness is completely essential to growing your business sustainably. But, many businesses are unlikely to have thought about the huge part social media can play in generating that brand awareness. Here’s how social media increases positive brand awareness for thousands and thousands of businesses every single day.
Show some personality!!
Social media offers an exciting new avenue for your business to add a touch more personality, to create your very own community and to get involved in activities which other outlets don’t allow.
Whether you’d like to be seen as professionals in your field, as a page for inspiration or to build more of a fun community, you’ll need to decide on a tone of voice which will achieve that for your business. Choosing something a little more unique will help your business stand out and could help your business to become more memorable. It’s certainly a brand awareness opportunity not to miss out on!
The importance of consistency.
Although it’s likely that a large number of businesses do now have a presence on at least one social media platform for their business, are they using it effectively to positively impact brand awareness? One of the biggest pitfalls for busy companies is neglecting their social channels. Consistency is always preached when it comes to social media, but for good reason. If you push posting on social media down to the bottom of your to-do list, your account can start to look a little neglected. Sometimes, even looking so neglected that when people search for your business and see that you haven’t posted in weeks, months or even years, there’s a good chance they’ll get the impression that you’re no longer in business anymore.
A stat to get you straight onto that content calendar of yours is that 21% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that they can reach on social media! Not having consistent posts being published to your social accounts could leave people hesitant to make an enquiry through social media due to your account becoming seemingly inactive. A lack of consistency could result in a lack of enquiries. So essentially, our tip is to post consistently and as often as you can to keep your presence maintained.
Social media is the new Google search!
As buyer habits continue to change, a huge development announced by Google itself, states that nearly
40% of Gen Z prefers using TikTok and Instagram as a search engine over Google!
Whether that’s looking for the best shampoo on the market, or watching reviews on the latest technology, the social media platforms have become the go-to place to search for reviews and honest opinions from content creators.
Creating short-form videos for TikTok and Instagram is a great way to get your brand out there and discovered by new interested people! Get a conversation going, show some personality and become memorable as people begin taking to TikTok and Instagram over Google when looking for products and services on offer.
Hashtags- the easiest way to increase brand awareness.
Hashtags offer another chance at increasing your company’s brand awareness, on the topics you’d like to be most well-known for too. It’s a quick and easy way to get those extra few keywords into your posts and to help your post show up in search results when people type in words related to your brand.
Believe it or not, less is often more with hashtags to avoid things looking too spammy. Make sure to get in a good mixture of broad and popular hashtags, with more specific and less used hashtags to increase your chances of reaching your target audience.
Manage the publics perception of your brand.
The good, the bad and the ugly, social media has undoubtedly become the place for customer feedback. Whether it’s positive or negative feedback, on a public channel or through private messages, any feedback is an opportunity for you to manage public perception of your brand.
If somebody compliments your products or services, you’ll want to make sure to thank them right away, so they know just how appreciated their custom and feedback really is.
In the case of receiving a negative comment or message, being active on social media means you can respond quickly and professionally, willing to resolve any issues which may have arisen. On a public channel, other customers will be able to see you actively addressing customer issues, meaning they’re likely to turn the negative they’ve seen into a positive!
There were just a few of the many reasons why incorporating a strong social media strategy into your marketing plan can skyrocket your brand awareness! Need a hand with getting your social media off the ground? Get in touch with us and let’s have a chat!
6 Marketing tips to celebrate your business anniversary.
Brand
Is your business approaching a milestone anniversary? Whether it’s your first, fifth, tenth, or even a significant 25th, 30th, or 50th anniversary, seizing this moment is crucial. Anniversaries are not just about celebrating longevity; they showcase your business’s achievements and the remarkable journey leading to this milestone.
Recognising and publicising your anniversary is a powerful way to enhance your business’s credibility and attract prospective clients. The growth and evolution your business has undergone—expanding staff, overcoming challenges, adapting to industry changes, and launching new products and services—deserve recognition. So, embrace this opportunity to highlight your success. Here are six effective strategies to commemorate and market your special anniversary:
1. Consider a Rebrand
Evaluate your brand’s relevance every few years. If your anniversary aligns with a need for rebranding, this is the perfect opportunity. A fresh brand can invigorate your image, open new doors and supercharge growth.
2. Temporary Icon
Create a temporary anniversary icon or logo featuring the number of years achieved. Utilise this icon across platforms—social media, email signatures, printed materials—to maximise visibility and to prompt conversations. Established businesses instil trust, and this tactic reinforces your credibility.
3. Engage Local Press
For significant anniversaries, why not engage local press outlets to really get the word out there? You could arrange a photo shoot with your team to make the supporting imagery stand out, incorporating the business’s history and key success factors. Craft a press release highlighting your journey, industry adaptability and biggest achievements to date. Share this with local and national media outlets for the best coverage possibilities.
4. Host a Celebration
Mark the occasion with a celebration—whether a party, event, or open day. Invite customers, prospects, local influencers, and press contacts that could make the occasion extra special. Leverage social media and blogs to showcase the event, giving insights into your business culture and sharing appreciation for those who have helped you reach this monumental milestone. Physical invites add an extra layer of excitement and give the event a feeling of exclusivity too, so get those golden envelopes at the ready!
5. Exclusive Product Launch
Emulate major brands by launching an exclusive anniversary edition product or service. Create a limited run of special edition products to generate excitement and exclusivity. Alternatively, run an anniversary sale to boost sales with an exclusive offer that everybody take advantage of.
6. Social Media Campaign
Leverage the power of social media with a campaign that runs across your social media pages. Social media campaigns are versatile and can effectively reach new audiences, making them an ideal tool for anniversary marketing. Plus, they’ll help you spread the word and boost engagement rates!
Beyond the logo.
Brand
Brand storytelling with character design
I’ve been drawing characters since I was a little one – what started in the 80s and 90s as reading comic books and watching Transformers, He-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the TV has turned into a passion of mine both inside and outside of my career.
Having recently had the chance to design brand characters for some of our clients at Creative62, I have seen the power of characters first-hand and how they spark imaginations for future projects.
The landscape of marketing and branding is an ever-evolving beast, with brands constantly searching for ways to connect with their audience. Beyond the traditional logo and brand elements, the creation of characters or mascots adds a dynamic and relatable dimension to the right brand identity. In this blog post, I’ll be talking about the significance of using characters with a brand architecture and how it can elevate the right brand to new heights. So, let’s get to it!
Duolingo’s Duo
Fun, bright and engaging.
Waze’s Bubble Car
Combining everything that the brand does with its communication tool.
Reddit’s Snoo
A perfect execution by Pentagram.
Octopus Energy’s
Constantine, cute and welcoming.
Headspace’s Smile
Although not a mascot, the warm use of colour and emotion in such a simple way is perfect.
Duracell’s Bunny
Originally launched in 1973 and has been through various iterations, has continuously evolved for the target market.
Kaws
Although not a brand that utilises marketing in the traditional way, Kaws shows just how powerful a perfectly executed character can build a brand on its own!
Everyone Active’s
Active Monsters, would be a bit silly to not put one of our own creations in the mix now, wouldn’t it?
Storytelling
Character design, when used in the right way, provides a visual narrative that enables the brand to speak to the viewer in a completely different way than words alone can get across. Humans are natural storytellers and readers, you can tell the story of a brand’s journey, mission, values or cadence in a much more engaging and personal way in an instant.
Recognition
By creating a distinctive character or mascot for a brand, it gives the brand a face, a recognisable face, a personality and a story that makes the brand memorable and forges an emotional connection.
Loyalty
Well-designed characters or mascots have the potential to become a cherished symbol for a brand. Looking at characters that have stood the test of time are the Compare the Market Meerkats, Monopoly’s Milburn Pennybags, Pringles’ Julius Pringles and the Michelin Man, whose brands can all be recognised without a single word.
Target Audience
Brand characters can be tailored to suit the demographic of the brand, which is something that can be difficult to do using any other method of branding as it leaves very little in terms of interpretation when used well.
Versatility
From packaging and printed advertising to digital and social animated campaigns and merchandising, a strong character is versatile and can be used across various marketing channels.
Stand out
In a noisy modern marketplace, it is increasingly more difficult to stand out from the crowd. Character design offers a memorable way to differentiate brands from the next, which isn’t easily replicated.
In conclusion, by utilising character design within a brand, you are connecting with the audience via storytelling on a purely visual platform. It’s not creating a logo or mark that people might recognise… it’s creating an ambassador for the brand that can speak to the hearts and minds of the customers when you can’t.
If what you have read here resonates with your brand in any way, please just reach out for a chat and see if we can create some storytelling magic together.
