So many times, I’ve stumbled upon conversations about branding. I’m no longer surprised by how many think that branding is only about design, logos, business cards, brochures, flyers, covers and so on. Not only a lot of clients not knowledgeable about what branding is all about but, surprisingly, many designers reduce branding and its reputation to a few elements but if you look at Rolex brand for example, you will get a different picture.
Branding is only as strong as the strategy and mindset behind it. Having a great design is not as important as having a strategic one. When it comes to branding, design work is not merely creating logos and business cards. The way I see it, good branding is a revolutionary act that entails investing hard work toward building a reputation, in order to win over the hearts and minds of customers.
Anyone working with branding must have both a creative and strategic mind. The creative one is for visualization, look and feel. Its strategic counterpart serves to build a sturdy reputation surrounding your business by consistently producing a high caliber product. When branding is effective, your logo turns into a stand-alone symbol – one which you will need to continuously feed to keep alive in the hearts and minds of your clientele.
Throughout history, people established groups and they created names and symbols for each group. In ancient cultures, a crowned person with gold or wood on her\his head established that they were royalty, regardless of whether the crowned person actually deserved to be so highly regarded. The crown is what gives this person their reputation. This status is not based on merit but was bequeathed onto them.
Through nationalism, flags provide one of the most effective ways of branding. There are wars being waged until today in the name of flags and nationalism. Countries gain our loyalty because of flags and what they come to represent. We often find ourselves not loving what our country is achieving. However, whenever our flag is held high, we respect it. This is why, when another country’s flag is being burnt, spat or stepped on, it is considered one of the highest forms of disrespect. This is why some countries do not allow their citizens to raise any flag besides their own. In my opinion, flags have been created in the era before Christ where it was used at first as a symbol during battle. With time, it earned a reputation and gathered respect as a way of communication that lasted for thousands years later and will go on to do so. A soldier’s strength increases during the battle when they see their flag being attacked. As a result, they will do all they can to defend it. Not to step away from branding, but flags were strategically made by some genius to be used as a tool to gain the loyalty of its followers and to unify them under a common cause. This cause can be defending or owning land, or uniting its follower as part of the same national identity. This makes it one of the most successful branding tools that history has ever witnessed. It built its influence and reputation until present time as additional proof that Earth was not initially owned by anyone. Today, it is owned by countries with names that are represented by flags. The people of each country will feel a sense of belonging and unify under their national through sickness, sin, grieve and joy.
Let’s step away from the example of flags in order to return to the question of why branding is not about the design only but rather a mindset. Have you ever been walking on a long street with many restaurants, be it in a rich or poor neighborhood, and noticed that one restaurant is more successful and attracting far more people than the other. Let us consider that the first restaurant has established a strong image for itself, with a great logo, beautiful and well-organized interior while the second restaurant might have poor decoration, little organization and a basic logo. Surprisingly, people are piling on top of each other and waiting impatiently for a seat in the second restaurant. How could that be? The reason for this restaurant’s unlikely success lies in strategic branding. The owner of the second restaurant recognized the rule of its branding by heart which is working hard, producing mouthwatering cuisine and selling it to their customer with love. The mindset of the owner is most probably as follow: “This is my space and this is how the world will know of my existence. To establish my presence, I need to do something that doesn’t just sell but also has value. The possibility of my restaurant making it depends on its value.” Such a powerful mindset outshines poor design when compared with the other restaurant that has a weak mindset but strong design. The former has already established itself in the market and showed its worth, while the latter relies strictly on its image without having a strategy in mind to gain the customer loyalty and a reputation. When thinking of branding, it’s important to note that it’s not just about having a beautiful image. It’s also about having a beautifully strategic mind. Combine both together and you’ll be on the right track.
While branding is essential, it’s important to sustain your presence. Sustaining your presence is another part of strategic branding. This should only happen after establishing simplicity and authenticity. Delivering a statement is a must. Keeping those components alive is one of the hardest things to achieve. We often see well established companies being overtaken by newcomers. “You might want to read more about this in Effective branding influence on us to spend more on things we can buy for less, in which Apple and Huawei are given as examples for this phenomenon.”
What is the first thoughts that comes into your mind when you hear the name Rolex? Expensive and luxurious, right!? The word “expensive” alone may discourage you (but do serious buyers turn away from buying a Rolex?) The answer is “NO” and, if they do, then Rolex wouldn’t exist. Rolex earned its unbeatable reputation during World War II during which Royal Air Force soldiers replaced their watches with Rolex. When they were captured, their watches were confiscated. Consequently, Hans Wilsdorf offered to replace their watches free of charge until the war ends. This had the effect of raising the morale among the allied POWs as it indicated that Wilsdorf did not believe that the Axis powers would win the war. American servicemen heard about this when stationed in Europe during WWII. This, in turn, helped open up the American market to Rolex after the war.
This simple story of what Hans Wilsdorf did increased the value of Rolex. This step forward was taken by Rolex at the right time and was an authentic idea coming from the heart of Rolex that made a difference. It raised the morals of the soldiers and improved the reputation of Rolex. One most think of how they can achieve this feat. What Hans Wilsdrof did was taking advantage of a situation and making a move while expecting nothing in return. Unexpectedly, this move ended up boosting the brand to where it is today. On top of that, Rolex also built its reputation by producing incredible house made watches that are assembled by hand. These factors collectively earned it a world-class reputation.
While Rolex has maintained a consistent tone over time. In doing so, they have been making one clear statement from its conception until recent times. That statement is: “I am a royal watch. Each luxurious piece of our complicated machine has been assembled in-house by the best watchmakers on Earth. We have been through the toughest of times and maintained resilience. Our value will increase with the passing of time, making it into the hands of achievers. Our watches are worn by the most successful people, the world’s champions and heroes. Our watches do not just tell time. Our watches make history.”
Your business branding must take two things into perspective: the design or art work and the strategic part – one where you are driven by a mindset that you believe in and work on tirelessly until you achieve success.
Published on 20 September, 2020.
