Three years ago, in the middle of the expansion process of my first venture, we agreed to change the company logo. The decision was risky. In just two months we would change both our physical location and the image that represented us. It was precisely at that time that I learned that a logo and a brand are not the same thing.
Imagine that the brand is like an iceberg, and that the 10% of it that sticks out from the sea and is visible to the naked eye is the logo. The logo is an easily recognizable and reproducible design element, which often includes a name, symbols, specific colors or a registered trademark. It is a quick and visual representation of the message and the position of the brand.
The logo is a tool to help communicate and represent the business. I like to summarize it as the answer or solution to a problem. This solution, offered by the logo, is what makes us recognizable to our public/client /user.
Often, drastic changes to logos mean brands are no longer recognizable to customers, thus this is not something taken lightly. But when the time comes to change the way we communicate with clients, we must do so without hesitation. I remember that once all the changes were made to our logo and our location, our customers followed us. Thus I learned that the brand, more than an image, is an emotional link – it is what people say, feel or think about the business.
The brand is what you are, the way you relate to the environment and the competition, the solutions you provide and how you do so. The brand, in short, forms a more complex universe, it implies a defined set of expectations, and requires a branding strategy, in order to build a reputation, based fundamentally on the famous five “Cs” (Content, Coherence, Constancy, Consistency, Confidence).
- Content: It is extremely important to know what to say, how to say it and where to say it. A brand must identify what is relevant to its audience and generate valuable content for it.
- Coherence: All content we generate must be connected and aligned with our Brand Concept, in this way we reinforce our distinctive essence within the market.
- Consistency: A brand requires time to consolidate itself. It is necessary that our content and our actions be consistent over time.
- Constancy: You cannot speak of value if you speak with fear. A brand must have firmness, security and the courage to sustain its own discourse over time.
- Confidence: To win people’s hearts and minds, we must first build confidence.
Respecting these five factors will mean our brand generates greater loyalty from its audience, improves its reputation and market positioning and, in an attractive way, enhances its distinctiveness as compared to the competition. All of which will strengthen our ties with the most important “C” – the Client.