Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM September 2018 | Page 23

& Consistency What is branding?? It’s more than a logo, more than colors associated with your business… Branding is the image and persona that shoots to the forefront of a consumer’s mind when they hear your name or product. Think Nike, Coca Cola, Wal Mart and Whataburger… can you see their logo in your head? How about their slogan, can you hear it? Even if you prefer Dr. Pepper or Target, you’re influenced by the branding of these products. Branding is so much more that building a base of loyal customers. Good branding serves as your after-hours salesman and works when you can’t. It delivers a message to the consumer and creates an experience to be expected when your goods or services are consumed. Good branding can also serve as a form of damage control and help build your credibility in a tough market. Remember when Johnson & Johnson recalled 31 million bottles of Tylenol in the 1980s?? Recalls weren’t exactly an expectation in those times, but Johnson & Johnson chose to put consumers first and inadvertently sealed their fate as one of the leading pharmaceutical and consumer goods brands for the next 40+ years. The trick to Johnson & Johnson’s success was consistency and dedication to their brand. Johnson & Johnson has branded themselves as a company that can be trusted by all. Did you know that their logo has been around for more than 130 years? It’s a family-friendly, simple “Johnson & Johnson” signature that was initially designed because founder James Johnson believed in his products so wholeheartedly, that he signed his name to them. Their credo: “We believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses and patients, to mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services. In meeting their needs everything we do must be of high quality.” is still being promoted today. By: Rae Ann Rindhage Empire Creative Marketing [email protected] Had Johnson & Johnson recalled their products, issued their credo and at the same time released a new logo and branding style, it would have completed altered the perception of the company. They would have become unrecognizable and subsequently not trustworthy. When branding your company, it’s vital to develop a solid brand that includes your logo, colors, styles, fonts, etc. to be associated with your company. Once they’re set, it’s important to adhere to your brand guidelines consistently. Simple things like incorporating a thin, cursive font when your typical style with a bold print can be confusing to consumers and completely alter the message of product. Developing a style guide as a reference for company employees, vendors and marketing executives to reference will help maintain your brand image and ensure success. Once your style guide has been developed, you can apply it to all other marketing aspects to maintain continuity in all elements of branding. Leaving you with some food for thought… does the image that shoots to the forefront of a consumer’s mind when your business is mentioned match what you’re working for it to be?? Ask the Marketing Experts! Empire Creative Marketing is excited to announce that we’ll be offering an “Ask the Marketing Experts” section in Momentum Magazine! Each month we’ll be answering a few questions submitted by our readers, discussing things like business development, social media strategy, importance of websites and more! What kind of marketing questions do you have on your mind?? Shoot us an email – [email protected] and be sure to check out the October Momentum issue for our response!