marketing

How to come up with memorable brand images

Modern people generally come into contact with nearly 6,000 different brands every day and see 4.8 brands every minute. Whether you are roaming physical stores, online e-commerce platforms, or social networking sites, brands exist in many ways, including graphics, sound, film, and even packaging. With such fierce market competition, how can brand owners stand out and win over consumers?

In this article, we will share some useful brand image planning methods and cases from a professional brand consultant to assist you when determining brand strategy.

Before Brand Launched

Clarify a brand’s current status before building brand image

In today’s business environment, the importance of brand image must be addressed. A brand not only represents a business but also symbolizes emotional ties between consumers and the business and can help earn trust, build loyalty, and gain competitive advantage. Generally speaking, a brand image can be established in three situations:

I have a new product/service to launch:

Before a brand is launched on the market, it is very important to clarify the differences between new products/services and competing products in the market and to find out the brand’s core concepts and positioning. Establishing a brand is a long process. From the extension of brand value to visual style, packaging, space design, etc., each stage needs consistent brand tonality to build a strong brand image in the hearts of consumers. In this highly competitive business environment, effective brand building can attract attention and win the trust and loyalty of consumers, thus laying a solid foundation for the successful launch of new products/services.

My existing business needs rebranding:

Brand asset aging, changes in consumer groups, channel adjustments, and changes in consumer behavior are all problems that brand owners will encounter. For brand consultants, they will mostly suggest “rebranding” to cope with rapid changes in the market environment. Under such circumstances relying on third-party professional opinions of brand consultants is essential. By examining current brand assets, we can identify and analyze current problems and help companies establish brand-new brand positioning and planning concepts, create effective communication strategies and visual languages, and allow companies to build competitive brand images to meet ever-changing market demands.

Brands need creative designs that stand out:

An eye-catching and creative design can help a brand stand out in the market. First, we must find influential and innovative concepts through in-depth market and competitive analysis that fully embody the brand’s spirit and incorporate its uniqueness. Then we can attract consumers’ attention with new visual styles through image shooting or video production. Such creative designs can leave deep visual impressions, strengthen the brand’s uniqueness, and make the brand stand out in the fiercely competitive market.

Importance Of Brand Identity Video

The power behind the story: Brand identity video communicates entrepreneurial spirit

In the digital community era, how to convey information that the brand wants to communicate while enhancing brand image in just a few seconds is a problem facing many businesses today. In this case, Panasonic, a well-known Japanese home appliance brand, was able to perfectly interpret corporate spirit and product advantages through its brand image video. The film’s background is set in a mysterious coffee shop and describes a group of customers with personal problems and dreams. Actor Nori Makoto Murayama plays the owner of the coffee shop in the film and shares the secret of finding happiness with his customers.

Through the touching dialogue in the film, the audience can understand the company’s values and commitments and the innovation and practicality of the products. The brand image video can quickly and effectively attract the audience’s attention and enhance the brand’s image and influence in the digital community.

The image is from the Panasonic video: https://youtu.be/E1fmIBiKVZA

Brand Concept Integrated Into Space Design

Experience the essence of the brand: The brand concept ingeniously integrated into space design

Walking into the independent coffee shop brand cafe noote, the gray walls and the blue and yellow seats in the store offer people a relaxed and free atmosphere. When the store first opened, the two managers hoped that people’s conversations and interactions in the store would be fluid. After creative brainstorming, they developed the brand positioning of “Micro-Sense Flow Space” and integrated the spirit into their store design.

The font in the logo design of “cafe noote” combines two main concepts. The strokes of the letters are separated to form two open semicircles OO, which infinitely extend into various interesting patterns and symbolize “flowing, infinity, communication, and openness.” It hopes each consumer can find their own insights between the two OOs. At the same time, handwritten notes are scattered around the store, including cute pictures and words such as “hey giraffe! mind your head” on the stairs. These small details are like small surprises left by the brand for visitors. The unique messages make each visit more memorable and consumers look forward to returning.

Cafe noote case introduction: https://reurl.cc/v7MzQA

Good Brand Naming and Slogans

Make “Who am I” more captivating: Good brand naming and slogans help brand visualization

Founded 18 years ago, “OB Style” is Taiwan’s largest clothing and beauty shopping platform. It started with YAHOO auctions and has gone through market competition, corporate transformation, online and offline integration, and cross-field transformation. During brand transformation, think brand consultants helped them reinterpret brand identity and showcased the brand’s evolution and original intentions.

The new brand slogan, “Own Your Beauty with confidence and joy,” also reinterprets the meaning of “OB” through rebranding. “O” represents the experiences and achievements of the brand over the years, starting from scratch, and its thoughtful services. “B” visually presents the arc of a rolling ball, revealing the brand’s vitality, diversity, and creation of infinite possibilities. When “O” and “B” are combined, it suggests the beautiful transformation of butterflies, the confident blooming of flowers, and the flexible and curved lines reflect the confidence and joy felt when wearing OB merchandise!

OB Style case introduction: https://reurl.cc/mD8jAl

Combining Culture And Issues

Combining culture and issues: Brand image ads resonate with consumers

Coca-Cola has updated its slogan for the first time since its 2016 advertising slogan, “Taste the Feeling.” “Real Magic” continues the brand’s classic “It’s the Real Thing” and highlights people’s needs for interaction and connections during the pandemic. After completing the planning and visual work of rebranding, how to release the news of brand renovation to the world is also very important.

From the perspective of a brand consultant, after the LOGO is designed, how to apply it to the brand image photography, connect the ideas of other professionals, create a visually attractive story, and resonate with consumers are also keys to rebranding success. Take the case of Coca-Cola as an example. In terms of marketing promotion, the brand released a series of posters and visual designs and invited photographers, artists, and illustrators from all over the world to interpret the concept of “Real Magic” in various styles. The diverse visual expressions deeply resonated with consumers, vividly conveyed the brand’s new concept, and demonstrated Coca-Cola’s new definition of its brand’s meaning.

Conclusion

Building a memorable brand is crucial in today’s highly competitive market. A brand’s influence is no longer limited to products but extends to multiple levels, such as advertising, packaging, store layout, and website design. The first step is to clearly define the brand’s core values from which a unique brand story can be extracted. The second is to form a clearly recognizable brand identity through consistent visual and verbal elements. Finally, we need to establish an emotional connection with consumers and win trust and loyalty through emotional resonance. By thinking deeply about the target audience’s needs, paying attention to cultural and social issues, and using creative strategies, brands can effectively stand out in the market and leave an impression on consumers.

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thinkers’ ooo Vol. 11-15 collection

thinker launched a new project named “thinkers' ooo” since 2020. It is a column to share thinkers’ points of view to their favorite brands, some of which are not even well-known to the public. We love the products of course, but it is the brands that we are attracted to and inspired from. “ooo” means our perspectives, imagination and self statement. Written by the designers and planners themselves, the articles include why we love the brands, how we use the products and what we learn from the stories behind the brands. Here are the first five articles we’ve published. Enjoy!