Clear communication comes from knowing who you are and the value that your business adds to the world.

Why are brands important?

A business with a poor sense of its brand will often follow the competition, the latest trends or worse – simply maintain the status quo. On the other hand a business with a clear sense of who they are and what they do well will operate predominantly in their strength zone and reap the rewards that brings.

One of the greatest things we can do for any business is to help define its brand identity. Your brand is what makes you unique, its the essence of who you are, your values, strengths and reason for being. Just as every person is unique so is every business. Discovering a unique identity is at the heart of creating a great brand.

Our definition of ‘brand’

A brand is not a logo, a product or an identity system. It can include these things but it is more than this. A brand is a collection of perceptions that a person has of your service or product; it’s what comes to mind when people think of your business. It’s a gut-feeling that a customer has about you. Great brands make a promise, contain a big idea, tell a compelling story and touch people at an emotional level which ultimately makes good business sense.

Products are created in the factory, brands are created in the mind. – Walter Landor

A good brand goes to the core of an organisation and finds the extra value that the company offers over and above the tangible things that it sells. It then expresses that value in every area of the company. Branding can influence every level of the company, such as: strategy, pricing, product development, people management and, yes, promotion.

So you want to build a great brand – where do you start?

Downing is able to help you throughout the whole process of creating, building and promoting your brand. It can be a process to get there but the end result is that you get a story to tell about your business that is a true reflection of what you are all about, a story that customers want to be part of. This journey of discovering your unique brand starts with us asking questions about your history, culture and the context in which you operate.

We ask about your strengths, values, and what makes you unique. We also like to learn about the people who connect with the business, customers, suppliers and staff. We then use this information to form your unique story using words and images, symbols, colours, sounds and whatever experience we can deliver to enhance your identity in the minds of the audience. When your brand is clearly articulated we then move to the Branding Phrase. Branding is the tangible expression of the brand, it could be visual or verbal: it can be the name, slogan, logo, signage system, advertising, website and so on.

It’s where we apply your brand to every point where people, customers and staff connect with your business services or products. When consistently applied a well-crafted brand is an immensely powerful tool for building your business or organisation. Contact us today to see how we can help you.