The Importance of Color in Brand Identity

Choice of color is more important than you may think for brands and their identities. I have created an online course that covers color in great detail including the associations and emotional responses to a wide variety of colors including in different cultures.

Other topics covered in the course include:

• The most and least popular colors by gender
• The most and least popular colors for cars
• Colors that increase quality perceptions
• Colors that are preferred by upscale consumers
• Colors that increase perceptions of "trust"
• Colors that are calming
• Colors that increase mental and physical performance
• Color combinations that are the most visible on paper, online and on outdoor signs

This course will also give you the opportunity to compare and contrast logos and their color choices in 42 different product and service categories.

To take the course, click HERE.

Brand Identity Elements

When most people speak about brand identity, they are speaking about the brand's visual identity. I will cover all of the components of a visual identity system later in this blog post. But first let's define brand identity. A brand's identity system is comprised of all the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory elements that are designed to identify the brand. 

Here is an example of each:

• Visual: McDonald's arches
• Auditory: Harley-Davidson's engine sound
• Kinesthetic: The unique feel of Apple's products
• Olfactory: Cinnabon's cinnamon scent
• Gustatory: Grey Poupon mustard's unique flavor

Within a visual identity system, these are the most important elements:

• Shapes, symbols and icons
• Fonts and typography
• Primary and secondary colors
• Signature/logo lockup
• Name
• Tagline

Other elements of identity systems include visual blocking, brand voice and visual style, characters and spokespeople. More ephemeral elements of a brand's identity system include the brand's archetype and personality. 

Together, all of these elements help identify a brand and help it stand out from its competitors. 

Brand Sounds

Visual identity elements are the first things that come to most marketers’ minds when brand identity is mentioned. However, visual identity elements appeal to just one of the five senses – sight. Today, I want to call your attention to how sound is used to identify brands.

Over time, there have been many powerful advertising jingles. Do these words bring a tune or a brand to mind?

Commercial Jingles

“Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is.”

“Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”

“Nationwide is on your side.”

“I wish I was an Oscar Mayer Weiner”

“Hotdogs, Armor Hotdogs – The dogs kids love to eat.”

“I’d like to teach the world to sing.”

“The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”

“Ba da ba ba ba I’m Lovin’ It.

Sometimes a sound or a sequence of sounds is just as powerful or even more so than a jingle with lyrics. Consider the power of these sounds in conjuring up specific brands.

Sounds

NBC’s musical notes, G, E, C

Intel theme music

Apple Mac boot up

Each version of Microsoft Windows has its own boot up sound sequence

Harley-Davidson engine

MGM lion’s roar

And finally, sometimes brands have theme songs without the lyrics.

Music

John William’s Olympic Fanfare and Theme

ABC’s Wild World of Sports theme song

National Geographic theme song

Loony Tunes theme song

When developing brand identity systems, don’t forget to consider unique and ownable sounds.

Brands vs. Brand Names

All brands have names and identity systems. The identity systems typically include type fonts, colors, icons and other visual elements. Sometimes they also include auditory, olfactory, gustatory and tactile elements. And they sometimes include taglines. 

The brand name can convey a specific intended meaning or feeling or it can just be a name that has been assigned to the brand without that intention. The tagline goes further in communicating the brand's intended promise.

But a brand's name is just like your name. It is merely a label. It is a way to identify you with words. And a brand's identity is the same as your visual appearance and perhaps the other sensory queues that you emanate such as your voice or pheromones. 

The brand, on the other hand, is more than its name and identity system. It is what is behind the name and identity system. Just as you are more than just your name or appearance. You are a complex sentient being who has a personality, a style and set of values, certain attitudes and behaviors, likes and dislikes, etc. You are the sum total of all that goes on in your head and your heart and your body (and some would say in your soul too). You are your thoughts and your words and your deeds.

Brands have the same complexity.

People perceive you not just based on your name and appearance, but also on your personality, attitudes, values and especially your behaviors. The same its true for brands. 

So, as a brand manager, you need to be concerned about the products and services and processes and systems and organizational culture and strategic partnerships that impact your brand's values, attitudes and behaviors, especially as they relate to the end customer. 

Brand Identity for the 21st Century

Brand identity management is a key component of brand management. The number of brand identity firms and graphic design firms that create identity systems and logos are practically countless, though their capabilities typically vary widely. Traditionally, brand identity systems have included one or more of the following:

• Name
• Graphic mark, emblem, symbol or icon
• Typefonts
• Color palette
• Tagline/slogan
• Subrands, endorsed brands and other related brands
• Prescribed spatial relationships between all of the above

But identity systems can also include scents (Cinnabon), sounds (Harley-Davidson), tastes (Bowmore) and textures (Mrs. John L. Strong). In fact, scents are the most effective at encoding and decoding brand associations in memory. 

Other elements of a brand identity system include brand voice and visual style and visual patterns and blocking. A brand spokesperson (Motel 6's Tom Bodett) or character (GEICO's gecko) might also be a part of a brand's identity system, as might specific types of music. Hallmark Hall of Fame commercials in the 1980s and 1990s featured a specific style of piano music. The brand's identity system should communicate its archetype and personality. 

Product and package design might also be a part of the brand's identity system. Consider Coca-Cola's bottle shape, Absolut's bottle shape or Tiffany's distinctive robin egg blue color packaging. Or consider Christian Louboutin's red soles. Apple products also have a consistent distinctive look and feel. 

The typical logo must be recognizable on a business card or above a store entrance. The Internet requires a version of the logo in the form of a badge or button. But all uses should be considered - letterhead, website, vehicles, employee uniforms, insignia merchandise, building signage, etc. 

A brand's identity system must be flexible enough to be experienced consistently regardless of communication vehicle, venue or use.

At a minimum, you should have the brand's identity system and standards accessible digitally to all relevant parties within your organization and outside of your organization (strategic business partners). Ideally, you manage this through a digital asset management system. 

Relationships Between Brands

Whenever there is a family of brands, as a brand manager, you must make clear what the relationships between those brands are. The relationship can be parent brand/sub-brand or smaller brand endorsed by the parent brand or stand alone brands (unrelated in any way), including the high level brand being a non-consumer facing holding company brand. So, you can choose everything from a branded house (Toyota or Sony) to a house of brands (P&G or Unilever). But choose you must. And it must be a conscious choice. 

I have seen too many instances in which the brand manager does not think through the relationship between the brands and then slaps two or more logos on a product or its packaging. This makes it very confusing for the consumer, especially if the different logos are in different places on the product or packaging. It puts the responsibility on the consumer to figure out what the relationship, if any, is between the multiple brands featured on the product or its packaging. 

Is one brand endorsing another brand? Is one brand brought to you by another brand? Is one of the brands an ingredient brand? Are the different brands co-promoting the product? Do the multiple brands indicate a strategic partnership? Is one brand a parent brand? If so, which one? What is the relationship between the brands?

Not only does it help to lock names in a certain relationship in identity systems, but also to indicate the relationship between the brands using words (especially for endorsed brands). Here are some of the ways I have seen one brand endorse another brand using words:

• A [brand X] aircraft company
• A division of [brand X]
• A [brand X] partner
• A [brand X] retirement community
• A [brand X] subsidiary
• A [brand X] retreat center
• A [brand X] service center
• Featuring [brand X] technology
• With [brand X] inside
• Brought to you by [brand X] bakeries
• By [brand X]

The relationship you create between the brands must be intentional and it must work for both brands. The simpler and more clear you can make the relationship, the easier you have made it for the consumer to understand what he or she is buying. Ideally, each brand's marketplace awareness and positive associations strengthens the perceptions of the linked brand. There must be strategic intent behind the chosen linkage. 

Neglecting to create this intentional linkage demonstrates ignorance, laziness or sloppiness. 

Bringing the Brand Positioning to Life

Question:

We have just finished a brand positioning exercise. What are the most effective methods of bringing the brand promise to life?

Answer:

Now that your brand positioning is determined, it is time to bring your brand promise to life.  The first thing to do is to communicate that new promise. One way is though your brand’s identity system from its name and logo to its tagline, colors, type fonts and other brand identity elements.  The tagline, in particular, should communicate the brand’s promise. Even if you do not change another element of the brand’s identity, the tagline should at least allude to your brand’s unique value proposition or promise.  Next, the brand promise should be translated to carefully crafted messages intended for various audiences  - an elevator speech for internal audiences, a selling script for salespeople, a press release boilerplate and an “about us” section for your website. Additionally, you can craft brand stories that reinforce what your brand stands for and what it is promising.

In conjunction with developing the brand promise communication, it is important to focus on the brand promise proof points and “reasons to believe.”  First, it is useful to identify all of your current brand proof points and reasons to believe and make sure they are visible to your customers and potential customers.  It is also useful to articulate these in support of your brand’s promise in written brand communication.

Next, you should identify all of your brand’s customer touch points to understand what platforms you have to reinforce your brand’s promise. Following this, you can ideate new brand proof points at each customer touch point and even ideate new touch points at which you can reinforce your brand’s promise. The proof points typically are real customer experiences that your brand creates, especially those that are beyond simple brand communication. These might be delivered through product functions or features, new job functions, specific customer services, the selling environment, system or process improvements or focused employee empowerment.

Once your employees are grounded in the brand’s new promise and positioning, you can offer training and incentives for employees to find individual ways to reinforce the brand’s promise in their day-to-day work. You can even invite them to brainstorm new ways to deliver on the brand promise.  Some organizations have even implemented brand behavior recognition and reward systems for their employees.

The opportunities for bringing the brand’s promise to life are almost endless. Once there is organizational consensus around what the brand stands for, then it is easier to rally employees in support of brand’s values and promise.

I hope this is enough to get you started in bringing your brand’s promise to life.