“You’ve baked a really lovely cake, but then you’ve used dog $#!† for frosting.”
This is a somewhat humorous Steve Jobs quote that accurately sums up something a lot of companies struggle with – their branding. We know it’s important. Since Mad Men hit the airwaves the masses are becoming more aware of how companies and products are presenting themselves. With social media taken up by the masses, the roles are being reversed. Consumers now have a voice and can demand what they want from brands, versus brands telling consumers what they want. We are at a point where the customer makes up their mind about a company or brand in a split second – which means it’s all about that split second.
Over my career in advertising I’ve worked with companies that have really struggled to put a strong brand forward, and with some that have really nailed it. The success stories were never overly complex – they had a solid brand message to stand on and emphasized it at every touchpoint. While I’m not yet a brand expert, I have become pretty good at knowing a good brand when I see it. Below are some of my absolute favourite brands. I’m loyal to all these brands for one reason or another, but in truth it’s because they’ve earned my trust and deliver consistently on their brand message. While it’s true that the average consumer doesn’t think this way, they subconsciously decide to not keep going back to the same company if they’re faced with a different message at every turn.
IKEA
Yes IKEA. I’ve pulled my hair out over assembling their furniture just as much as the next person, but you cannot deny IKEA has nailed their brand on a global level. I was in France for a wedding this summer and had to visit a store and I was able to find everything I needed – despite having no grasp of the French language. That struck me as pretty remarkable. It cannot be easy to ensure every country operates the same way. Aside from the store level, IKEA’s brand is known for being simple, smart and clever. Their ads bring a smile to the viewer and make a connection to a very personal aspect of their consumers life: their home. While each country might have it’s own tagline that speaks to that market, (The Life Improvement Store, Bring The Family Together, Long Live The Home), they always harmonize with the global brand platform, which is to improve the everyday life at home.
STEAM WHISTLE
Another company focused on keeping things simple. Steam Whistle is a brewery located in downtown Toronto and “the good beer folks” brew one type of beer, a traditional pilsner. Their brand message is straightforward: “Do one thing really, really well.” From the packaging to the brewery events, to the friendly green glass bottle it comes in, the honest and inviting tone of their brand comes through. They even have a branded fleet of vintage delivery trucks and vans (yes – they do home deliveries!) Despite many requests to expand their portfolio they continue to focus on making one really great beer. Which is really saying something in a hugely competitive industry where the current trend is to give consumers as many options as possible (beer mojito anyone?). Steam Whistle recognizes the importance in being true to their core value and single-minded brand message.
APPLE
Yes, the most obvious and it likely falls on everyone’s top brand list, but for good reason! Steve Jobs lived and breathed Apple. It’s hard to deny how dedicated he was to the Apple brand and how ruthlessly he controlled every single facet of the brand. He didn’t just put an amazing product onto the market but he made sure the product itself was amazing. The packaging, the store it was sold in, the ads – they all told the same story. If you’ve read the Jobs biography you’ll know he even commissioned custom sheets of glass when they did come in a large enough size in order to maintain his vision for the New York City store. The Apple brand is so strong they don’t even need the name of the company on their product – just the iconic silhouette of a Macintosh apple.
LULULEMON
As a runner/yogi it was only a matter of time before I crossed paths with this West Coast success story. And after shimmying into my first pair of Groove pants there was no looking back. A friend of mine worked at one of their retail stores and I was surprised at their “guidelines” for employees. No soda, do yoga once a week and have goals. (I know there are more and I’m not sure about the soda one but these were the most outrageous to my sedentary 21-year old self.) Having goals seemed like the strangest to me, but as I’ve grown into a more athletic version of my former self I started to understand. They want all their employees to be messengers for the brand. Yoga is all about working on your physical, mental and spiritual self, and is a lifelong journey. To want employees to do yoga, and be driven in life shows how deeply they believe in their product. The brand message at Lululemon isn’t just on their ads and website design, but is instilled in every employee. When you shop at one of their stores you don’t just get what the brand is about from the products but from the people as well. Lululemon has gone beyond just selling clothing, to selling a lifestyle. And it’s working.
NIKE
The best for last. I don’t think I would be as motivated to run half the time without the genius of their Nike Plus platform. Nike has a great brand story. It started with a track coach and athlete and grew to be one of the top brands in the world today. Bill Bowerman, one of the founders, is quoted on the walls of Nike stores in recent years, “If you have a body, you are an athlete”. Beyond the forever famous “Just Do It” slogan, that Bowerman quote lies at the core of Nike’s brand story – to empower anyone to get out there and give it all you’ve got. Nike’s ads all have a rallying cry and I think you’d be lying if you weren’t inspired to jump off the couch and hit the gym after seeing one.
CONCLUSION
Most of these are big brands with big budgets, but the examples here are the best way I know how to demonstrate great branding. What all these brands do really well is build a strong platform for their brand message to stand on and carry that through to every aspect of their company. Website, store front, email, product, advertising, events – everything works together.
Knowing what your company stands for and finding a way to communicate that to your target audience will allow you to tell the story of your brand. Consumers are always more open to a company that wants to make a connection, not another dollar. Does your company have a brand guide? No matter what business you’re in you should have one. Your product might be the best in the market but if your message to consumers isn’t clear you may never sell a single unit.
