by Nicola Gordon-Thaxter

Created on: May 12, 2007   Last Updated: August 21, 2009

Why is it that in this day and age some companies still can't get branding right?

If you are in business to make a profit (which I imagine most businesses are) then surely it makes sense to let your public know who you are and what you stand for?

Seems obvious enough to me.

Yet there are still some companies who haven't grasped the importance and the benefits of having a consistent and well thought out brand presence.

I have come across companies that produce material which makes you hard pressed to find out what company it belongs to. I guess this is advantageous if your company produces rubbish products. But presumably we don't all work in Dilbert's office. So it makes sense to let the people who can buy our products or services, know who we are.

What does this mean?

It means that companies should start out by appointing someone or a team to manage their brand. Oftentimes anything to do with image is seen as flaky and nothing to do with the bottom line. This is particularly the case in macho industries like printing and manufacturing. But even companies in these industries need to keep existing customers and attract new ones in an increasingly competitive environment.

Then an appropriate image, followed up by a relevant logo needs to be created. For instance if your company sells accessories for heavy metal enthusiast one hardly expects your logo to be a picture of a teddy bear clutching a rose!

In addition to this it is very important to have a tagline or a strap line. Even the most brand conscious companies have them in addition to their logo so what makes you think your company can get by with just a logo?

Now strap lines are difficult to come up with. And if you're going to have one it is vital that it is done right. A weak strap line or one that is too verbose does as much harm as not having one at all. So it is best to hire professionals to come up with one.

Then once these key things have been sorted out, it is necessary to gather all material that represents your company and make sure it is uniform. I have noticed in several companies, particularly large ones that oftentimes there are several different items sent out to the public, all with different messages. It might be that the logo is placed in different areas, is in different sizes, that the strap line is sometimes below or above the logo, or that the company colours look different on this brochure than they do on that poster.

All of this needs to be sorted out and made uniform. Which leads onto the next point.

Once all of this has been done it must be enforced. The person responsible for the company's image must ensure that all employees understand the importance for consistency in branding. One of the tools used to help in this is a brand manual or style book. This is a document the communications head can produce outlining all the appropriate uses of company branding along with the inappropriate ones.

Once this foundation has been set, you are well on the way to establishing a strong brand. Then it is up to production to ensure that the product or service your company produces backs up the robust image it has.

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