Logo Design and Branding

Internet Branding

Through the Loop covered the Third Age of Internet in a previous MarketLoop. When the Internet entered its Second Age, many claimed that it was not a viable brand-building medium. However, the benefit of experience has shown that branding is absolutely crucial to Internet success, arguably more so than in the off-line world. Through the Loop has identified and analysed success factors for Internet branding based on a long-term view of development.

What is really happening?

A quick glance through the press may give the indication that the Internet is a failing medium. The stories about how much shares soared of the first day of trading have been replaced by coverage about high profile dotcom failures. Letsbuyit.com has been rescued from bankruptcy, e-commerce sales may not have reached expectations and boo.com was all over the press. Suddenly, venture capitalists do not appear to be rushing to invest in the latest dotcom business plan. So forget the hype and understand what this really means.

It has become clear that Internet businesses do not have way of working that make them immune to standard rules of business. Like any organisation, the business model has to be not only viable but also sustainable.

There is a shake-out and this has helped us to identify best practices for succeeding in Internet branding. Distinct marketing methods are vital. While these lessons have been distilled from long-running analysis of Internet branding, they are not so different from straightforward rules of branding. This indicates that while “unlearning and starting with an open-mind are vital,” basic marketing conventions also apply to a large extent.

Brand identity must be clear.
Innovation has to be continually demonstrated.
Differentiation is absolutely vital.
The consumer is in control.
logo design identity must be clear

Branding helps the Internet business to stand out from the crowd. Those companies that are most successful have a clear and concise logo design. They may provide what appears to be a commodity service but the strength of their branding means that they have become the defining operator in the sector. Examples here include amazon.com which is setting standards in book retailing although it may not have been the pioneer and sells essentially the same items as other internet-based retailers.

Yahoo! is the defining search engine although it may not have been the first and may not be the most effective. It does, however, have possibly the strongest logo design and, like amazon.com, this has enabled it to extend into new areas both geographically but also in terms of products and services. It is also interesting to note that while boo.com was a high profile failure, it has been relaunched by its new owners with the same name. This highlights the high level of brand awareness that had already been generated.

Other logo designs have been developed much quicker on-line than they may have evolved in the off-line world. Companies that have focused on a clear branding strategy have defined the category in which they operate and they may even “own” that category. It becomes very difficult for a competitor to attain the same level of awareness. Examples here are Motley Fool for investment advice, Expedia for travel and lastminute.com for late ticket offers.

Branding plays a slightly different role on-line to that in the off-line world. There is less of physical presence such as stores or packaging design and so the logo design has to provide “guides” to help differentiate the offering. The brand name may or may not be the same as the domain name and, in any case, they have to be able to differentiate the site from other domain names and branding used on-line without having the help of physical differentiators.

Branding can also include the provision of content to help add value to the offering. One of amazon.com’s strengths is the depth of its reader reviews while Yahoo! categorises the sites listed thus providing a helpful filter. Content richness and relevance will be key in the future.

Generic or category names are difficult to develop as brands in the same way that they would be off-line. It is also important to consider whether the same logo design should be used for on-line and off-line presence. There are arguments both ways.

Innovation has to be continually demonstrated

The previous BrandLoop argued that innovation is a continuous process and that products and services should be constantly updated to survive in the hyper-competitive market-place. On-line this is all the more apparent as the nature of the medium can make it very easy to copy a good idea. Therefore, a major opportunity can become diluted very quickly. Consider the plethora of “new intermediaries” such as reverse auctions or price comparison sites.

The amazon.com and Yahoo! examples show how they have built-in rapid evolution to keep them ahead of the competition. This includes the development of local country versions proving that the Internet is an equally local as global medium as well as improved personalisation and service offerings.

In addition, the medium and its associated delivery channels are evolving rapidly and so on-line communications needs to be dynamic not just to keep up-to-date but also to take advantage of any opportunities offered.

Differentiation is absolutely vital

It is important to offer something different. This may be obvious but differentiation has to be dynamic and sustained in an environment when an innovation can be quickly copied and on a global scale. Retailers may be selling from the same catalogue so incentives must be given to encourage the consumer to visit. This could include adding value through additional content but it is clear that price and product range are not differentiating elements of a company’s overall offer. Customer service and delivery are going to become areas where e-commerce will thrive or struggle. On-line communications are essentially individual messages quite different from the broadcast media of the past. Thus the extent to which communication are personalised and made relevant to the individual are crucial. Personalisation helps a marketer to offer unrivalled customer service and, moreover, it makes the service easier to use.

The consumer is in control

A successful on-line campaign will recognise the fact that different channels are used in different ways and that different types of messages can be sent to different types of access devices. In addition, there are two key elements of on-line marketing that are almost unknown in the off-line world:

Two-way communications are normal.

The consumer is in control.

The consumer communicates with the marketer in a form of dialogue rather than listening to or viewing a marketer’s monologue. This could be in the form of interacting with databases that capture details of purchases and other behaviour.

There has been much discussion about on-line marketing issues such as the click-through rate. However, this fails to recognise the fact that on-line communications are consumer-driven and are not led by the marketer. The consumer tends to be looking for something in particular and so mass marketing techniques are not appropriate. Consequently, they may only click when they have finished their task or on a later occasion. Consumers will choose if and when they wish to visit a marketer’s Web site.

Intrusive Internet communications such as pop-up advertising and windows may be viewed as attempting to push messages to consumers in a non-push environment. This does not mean that they have no role but they should not be used and evaluated in the same way. On-line marketing has to address the opportunities that the medium offers and build communications around this rather than simply transferring off-line communications.

Implications

The Internet has been marked by excessive hype as well as scare stories. This is not the sign of a medium in trouble, rather more it is evidence of the fast pace of development and the fact that Internet marketing is radically different from traditional marketing. Quite simply, it is more difficult to achieve results in a hyper-competitive and rapidly evolving sector. However, basic branding conventions still apply.

The Internet business model must be sustainable. There will be much more shake-out in the sector but simply setting up a Web site, however good it is, is no guarantee of success. The business model will have to adhere to general business and marketing rules as well as take into account issues that are specific to the Internet.

Action points

Is logo design clear? How do on-line and off-line branding relate to each other?
Is innovation built-in and demonstrated? It is absolutely essential to stay one-step ahead of potential competitors.
How is the site differentiated from similar operations? Is it possible to be closer to the consumer through a high level of personalisation?
Is the consumer in control? The site and its related marketing communications should not alienate consumers through over-intrusion. However, it is necessary to encourage them to visit the site when they wish to.

Internet Branding, January 2001
Written by: BrandLoop Newsletters
Source: http://www.throughtheloop.com/knowledge/brand.html

Tags: branding, marketing plan branding, branding design, marketing branding, corporate branding, identity branding, internet marketing services, internet advertising

One of the issues facing brands today and in the future is the apparent shortening of the “product life cycle.” While many brands continue to lead their markets after many years, others have short life cycles and are frequently designed with this in mind. Brands either live or die. They can innovate and evolve or they can be designed for a short life. Through the Loop’s Brand Positive™ research program has uncovered some of the reasons why life cycle theory should now be revisited to ascertain how logo designs are being developed for short lives.

Strong brands remain strong

Numerous studies have shown that many brands that were leading the market years ago are still in that position. To a large extent it has been proved difficult for a challenging logo design to overtake them. This means that they have the ability to extend the life cycle or, possibly, the effective marketing of these brands has meant that the life cycle, in its purest form, does not exist. The logo design must remain relevant in an ever-changing marketing environment. It must continue to provide consumer value.

Market leaders have an in-built advantage that makes it easier for them to survive than number two or three brands. For example, some of the factors that tend to favour leading brands are as follows:

It is easier for them to gain and maintain distribution.

They tend to be more profitable and this feeds back into communications, research & development budgets.

They have a higher level of consumer awareness.

They can maintain higher promotional budgets.

They can speak with a different voice to the consumer.

Moreover, these logo designs have been highly active in ensuring that their lifecycle is continually renewed. Nescafé, for example, has maintained its position as the UK’s leading instant coffee brand through frequent updating. This has extended the brand beyond the core Nescafé coffee into variants such as Espresso and Cappuccino as well as different bean types and, most recently, an organic variant. However, while the logo design remains modern and relevant, the core logo design values do not change and this is the key to its endurance.

The constantly-changing brand

The alternative way to retain a brand’s freshness is to keep changing it. This may be more relevant in a marketplace which is experiencing rapid change and the logo design can reflect and exploit this by exhibiting new traits. This could also be a method of attracting the consumer’s attention. In the impulse confectionery market in the UK, the three major manufacturers Mars, Cadbury and Nestlé have launched “limited edition” brands. These have the effect of bringing interest to the category. Gerber Foods is recognising the seasonal nature of fruit through its Spring 2000 UK launch of Ocean Spray Cranberry Seasons. This new product has a seasonal life and is replaced with the change of seasons.

Target market issues

A product or service may have a series of short life cycles. This may occur where the product or service is used for a short time only and the target market itself is constantly changing. For example, baby foods manufacturers gain and lose consumers all the time. This means that there are always opportunities with new consumers and “established” buyers move out of the market. In this case, there cannot be one life cycle but a whole series. Other areas that are time-dependent include toys. Look at the longevity of brands such as Barbie that has been a best-selling toy for generations of girls.

Globalisation and rapid communications shorten time cycles

Outside factors that impact on a logo design mean that it can often be advantageous to look outside the home country for areas of development. This works two ways and cross-border marketing means a much greater level of competition.

The Internet has been a significant inflection point here as it enables the rapid dissemination of ideas and development of products around the globe. In effect, it acts to shorten the life cycle in many categories. High profile dot.com failures will not just be the result of instable business models or poor management but could also relate to the fact that simple ideas based on open technology standards can be easily copied.

The dynamics of innovation

Innovation is, by its very nature, only short term. To be innovative, a company or logo design must strive for constant leading-edge development, thereby ensuring that it remains ahead of its competition or develops new categories that it can exploit before the competition reaches parity. At this stage, the genuinely innovative company must be launching version 2.0 or moving into the next market. This is all the more apparent in fast-moving markets or in sectors where there is intense competition.

However, the fast pace of development may frequently mean that the product or service development encounters problems that lead the launch date to be postponed. While this itself may not be an issue, there is a potential for consumer confusion, or even negative publicity, as the communications programme may already be underway. A recent example here is the launch of its Internet banking arm Intelligent Finance by the Halifax bank where advertisements had to be taken in the press to explain that there were technical problems with the service and, even more recently, Barclays announcement of security flaws in its on-line banking.

While early publicity may be necessary in this type of environment, cynically to ensure that consumers wait for the product or service rather than opting for a competitor, there is the danger of launching a product or service that does not yet exist or does not function correctly. Any ensuring publicity could be viewed as a necessary risk.

Nevertheless, innovation is crucial. To put it simply, it is more effective to make your own product obsolete before your competition does. It is important to be developing future versions of a product or service so that the product lifecycle is restarted and competitors are always playing catch-up.

More lessons from the information technology sector

As marketing moves away from mass marketing towards customisation and, ultimately personalisation, the life cycle may help to address different target markets in turn. This theory is popularised in Geoffrey Moore’s series of best-selling books on IT marketing but there is no reason why this strategy cannot be applied to other categories. Geoffrey Moore’s “bowling alley” approach refers to picking off different market segments, one at a time. All the time, this continues to build critical mass for the product and focuses marketing resources. It helps the product shift from early adopter to early majority status and move away from “the chasm.” This may be achieved by the recognition that the life cycle varies for each different group of consumers. Product development and marketing communications can thus be organised to suit the target segments.

Summary

The current and future logo design marketing environment is being becoming more competitive and the pace of change is accelerating. One approach to harness this for the company or brand’s benefit is to revisit life cycle theory and undertake development on a short-term basis. This could include the recognition of different product life cycles for different consumers or different target segments. There is no shame at all in launching a product or service that can be copied by competitors but continual updating is vital to always stay one step ahead. The product launch date could be viewed as the start of the development process not the culmination.

Through the Loop’s Brand Positive™ Knowledge Development Programme has recognised that identification and application of life cycle theory is becoming a key to future marketing development. This feeds into a range of solutions such as Horizon™, Blackjack™ and Bedrock™ that can be offered to clients to address logo design evolution issues. These impact across different time scales through short, medium and long-term.

Brands? Many Lives? August 2000
Written by: BrandLoop Newsletters
Source: http://www.throughtheloop.com/knowledge/brand.html

Tags: image branding, branding definition, brand strategy, definition of branding, brand id

Branding is not only your logo but also your business name. Great names evoke intrigue, savvy and class, and tell customers a lot about who you are. When you begin the branding process, think first about your name. Next, envision an image that works with that name. Finally, create a byline, which is a short sentence that describes who you are or what you stand for. Here’s an example. I named of one of my first coffee bars “Caffe Primavera.” In Italian, “Primavera” means springtime. For my logo design I used a Corinthian column with a floral theme at its base, surrounded by two renaissance angels. The byline I chose was “Coffee delivered from heaven.”

There are many examples of expired branding in the coffee world. Let’s look at Seattle’s Caffé D’arte (Italian for “coffee of art”). Its simple logo incorporates the company name and a cup in a design that uses traditional Italian colors. Its byline, “Taste the Difference,” tells you a lot. It indicates this company has traditional Italian coffee and suggests it is a high quality product.

Another Seattle coffee company with impressive branding is Caffé Vita. Its logo design features an Italian clown holding a cup. The image is classy, whimsical and reminds me of Carnival in Venice, reinforcing the link to Italy, the Mecca of espresso. The company uses its name and branding in fun and unique ways, probably more so than any other company in the industry.
Recently the company gave away black hats with an embroidered logo design that simply said “Caffé Vita.” But for the younger crowd, as a very creative and unique promotion, the company created cheap black and white foam baseball hats that from a distance read “VITA SUCKS.” Upon closer inspection, you could read small print that said, “VITA is great! What SUCKS is when you can’t find any!

Written by: Bruce Milletto
Source: www.expresso101.com

Your corporate name and corporate icon had better tell clients something about you, without any previous knowledge of your business enterprise. Your brand ought to be be strong enough to communicate a message and a opinion in an blink of an eye.

Designing logos for longevity

A logo must serve as your long-run branding instrument, announcing a very open precise message. Make the time it requires to design a logo for the distance, instead of trading your brand in for a new one every year. A pro graphic designer will establish your company logo a classic. Just like Pepsi, Coca Cola, and Ford, your company ID can proceed on year after year, making your name noteworthy and global.

Tags: brand strategy, business branding, image branding, corporate branding, name branding

Building Brand Awareness Through Tradeshows
by Susan Friedmann, CSP

Branding is a basic marketing concept that is designed to set your products/services apart from the competition. By using a particular name, phrase, design, symbol or a combination of these, you can create a unique identity. When choosing a brand name, consider the following five criteria:

1. It should suggest product/service benefits.
2. It should be simple, memorable, and unique.
3. It should fit the image of the company.
4. It should have positive connotations for the target market.
5. It should be easy to pronounce and to pictorialize.

Branding is not a sales and marketing gimmick. Instead it refines and defines corporate culture and identity. A brand must have meaning to its consumers, its organization and its employees. Brand is an emotional link between you and your customer. It is what people buy when they buy your product or your company. The most important part of a brand’s identity is the promise it makes to customers. The essence of branding is simplicity and timelessness.

Integrating Brand Awareness Into Your Exhibit Program

Since exhibiting is a powerful extension of your company’s advertising, promotion, public relations and sales function, that automatically means it is an excellent way to enhance brand awareness. Everything your company stands for, no matter how large or small, is being exhibited on the show floor. This means there needs to be total consistency, congruity, clarity and focus in every aspect of your exhibiting program, before, during and after the show.

Here are three important points to consider as you plan to integrate brand awareness into your tradeshow program.

1. Consistency and repetition is vital in creating brand awareness. People buy brands they know and they trust! A brand is a promise that companies make to their customers. Strong branding requires all the levels of communication to agree with one another.

2. Ensure all your marketing and promotions are consistent and that they have your logo, colors, typeface, slogans and characters. Everything you develop should have the same look and feel.

3. Peoples’ perception about your company, products, and services is a major factor in their choice of brand preferences and their buying behavior. All perception is subjective and based on experience. Individuals tend to interpret information according to existing beliefs, attitudes, needs and mood.

The following is a 10-point checklist to act as a reminder for many of the questions you need to ask and answer as you plan brand integration into your exhibit program:

1. What needs to be done to ensure that your booth conveys total consistency, congruity, clarity and focus of your company image and brand?

Consider:
- booth size
- location
- graphics
- demonstrations
- staff
- handouts and giveaways
- lead management

2. How can your graphics work best for you?

- can be easily seen and read in three seconds
- use a simple and bold typeface
- have striking and grabbing visuals
- are instantly memorable
- use a unique size or shape
- reinforce your message
- make your message a single, strong, provocative idea
- use a “What’s in it for me?” message
- use bold colors

3. What are the best promotional activities you can use to enhance brand awareness?

Personal invitations (e.g. with incentive and response form)

Direct mail with incentive

Pre-show advertising
- trade and/or local publications
- local media
- websites (e.g. company, show, association)
- broadcast faxes
- association newsletters
- city billboards
- transit advertising

At-show advertising
- show catalogs
- show dailies
- airport billboards, banners/electronic message boards
- hotel closed-circuit television
- hotel - on door or in room promotion
- kiosks/banners at show site
- convention television channels

4. What types of PR communications could be used?

Pre-show:
- press releases for local and trade publications
- product/service application articles
- personal invitations to trade/local editors
- company newsletters

At-show:
- press kits for the press office
- press reception
- video/slide presentation at the booth
- reprints of articles as giveaways
- seminars/workshops
- contests
- personalities/spokesperson at booth

5. What sponsorship opportunities exist and would complement your company image?

Some of the most frequent sponsorship opportunities are:
- press room
- international lounge
- speaker or VIP room
- awards reception
- educational programs
- keynote sessions
- coffee breaks
- luncheons/dinners
- banners
- badge holders
- audio visual equipment
- display computers
- tote bags
- shuttle buses

6. What advertising premiums will be consistent with your image and complement the message you want to convey?

Consider:
- budget
- originality
- usefulness and appropriateness for your target audience
- distribution

7. Who are the best ambassadors for your company - the right people to staff the booth?

8. What training should they receive?

Consider:
- prospect qualification
- booth etiquette
- product knowledge
- product demonstration
- obtaining commitment

9. What is the best dress code to convey your company image?

10. What is the best way to follow-up after the show that is consistent with your exhibiting program?

Remember that branding is a process, a business system, that fuels and sustains all customer/company relationships! Total consistency, congruity, clarity and focus in every aspect of your exhibiting program, before, during and after the show are essential.

About the AuthorWritten by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.

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• Custom Tradeshow Rugs by Rug Rats- design rugs for your tradeshow booth or special trade presentation.
• Advertising & Marketing Tools- Banner Tips. Magnetic Signs Maintenance Tips.
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Tags: strategic branding, real estate branding, branding products, business branding, branding marketing

Build Your Business Through Brilliant Branding

by: Wendy Maynard

Branding is more than product recognition or a simple logo. It is the overall intellectual and emotional impression people have when they think of your company and its product. It is a strong and consistent message about the value of your business.

A memorable and trustworthy brand reinforces customer loyalty. It helps them remember that your business provides the perfect solution to their problems. Therefore, to succeed in branding you must understand your customers’ needs and issues.

Brand building is an ongoing business strategy that has an easy-to-measure cost in time, money, and effort. Its value, on the other hand, is harder to establish because it involves measuring emotional associations that may not immediately translate into revenue. Branding is an essential element of success, however, and it should be reinforced during times when business is booming and when sales are slower. You want customers and potential customers to maintain a positive association with your company and its services.

You control the messages you send out through marketing, advertising, customer service, and your Internet presence. Branding is a combination of everything your company uses to present itself. Here are a few key elements to analyze and enhance in your branding strategy:

1. Professionally designed marketing materials (logo, stationery, ads, and the like): These tell customers your company is strong, confident, and credible. Your marketing materials should reinforce your company’s image and positioning over and over and over.
2. Consistency in advertising: Develop a tagline to succinctly describe your company - and use it! Develop a campaign that can provide different messages, but it recognizable as your brand.
3. Excellent customer service - always! Make sure your entire staff positively represents your business image.
4. A strong and professional website: It must be easy for viewers to navigate and understand. It should let visitors know what your company does and why they should care. Provide compelling, easy-to-understand, and interesting content. Make it easy for visitors to make purchases.
5. Differentiate your brand: Make sure your customers and potential customers understand why you are different from the competition. You want to establish a superior benefit with you target audience that encourages long-term loyalty.

Branding is not what you say about your company and products; it’s about your customers’ perception of your company and products. To strengthen your brand, make sure you can answer the following questions: What do you do that is different from anyone else? Why do you matter to your customers? If you can’t answer these questions, you don’t have an effective brand.

ACTION ITEM: Take a good look at your company and product/service strengths. Determine your primary strengths and benefits and then make sure your branding strategy (marketing materials, advertising, sales, customer services, logo, etc.) reinforces this. Simple, eh?

About The Author

Wendy Maynard, your friendly marketing maven, is the owner of Kinesis. Kinesis specializes in marketing, graphic and website design, and business writing. Visit http://www.kinesisinc.com for more articles and free marketing wisdom.

Want to harness the power of kinetic marketing? Sign up for Kinesis Quickies, a free bi-monthly marketing e-newsletter: http://www.news.kinesisinc.com.

Photography- Special Requirements

Certain earrings, for example, would not be clearly understood unless they were shown on an ear because of the way that they hang. But be cautioned that a close, tightly cropped shot of a portion of ear and side of face may reveal imperfections and blemishes… even on the best skin. Retouching will be necessary (and that adds an extra cost) to remove the imperfections and tiny facial hairs that will be captured on film. A ring might be shown from a more attractive angle when photographed held between manicured fingertips. The traditional ring shot on a finger can look flat and unappealing, especially if knuckles are showing. (Even a hand model has wrinkles in this area.) Some necklaces will display better when shown around the neck of a model, rather than flat. More…

Tags: branding strategy, what is branding, custom branding, branding and design, corporate branding, global branding, retail branding, history of branding