BRAND IMAGE DEFINITION AND DESIGN

Having a good logo or brand image is essential for any business. Indeed, it generates a positive notoriety and therefore a valuation of the products and services offered. But what exactly is the brand image? How to build and maintain it? And how to react in the event of a bad buzz?

What is branding?

Despite what one might think, the brand image is not the representation that a company wants to give itself. Rather, it is about how it is perceived by outsiders such as consumers for example.

Today, having a good image is essential for any business because faced with two similar products, a consumer will choose the product that has the greatest notoriety, the one that will make the best impression on him (quality, price, design) but above all the one who will have carried out the best branding (advertising and commercial strategy). Moreover, a good brand image has many positive consequences:

·         Promotion of products and services

·         Increase in market share

The objective for any company is then to understand the way in which it is perceived by its prospects in order to match the perception of the public to the image it wishes to convey. For this, it is necessary to carry out an identity construction strategy through the marketing and communication of the company. Get custom packaging for small business from SM Custom Packaging.

How to build your brand image?

The branding is the fusion of three elements:

·         Identity

·         The offer: the product and / or the service

·         Communication

Before moving on to the concrete phase of identity construction, it is necessary to ask a certain number of questions relating to the very essence of the company in order to guarantee consistency.

Start by studying your identity for a coherent image

A company must obviously put in place a quality strategy that is coherent and relevant with its sector of activity and its strategic positioning. Indeed, the mental representation of the public must reflect the identity of the structure and highlight the differentiating positioning compared to the competition. Companies should then consider the following points:

·         What is my offer and what are its peculiarities of my product or service?

·         Who is my target?

·         How to stand out in a competitive market?

·         What are my values?

Knowing its structure, its assets and its targets allows you to identify the quintessence of the company in order to convey relevant messages and stand out. Values ​​are also to be highlighted through a marketing strategy but also through external and internal communication. Employees and people belonging to the organization must also feel these values ​​and convey them outside the walls.

If the message sent to the customer is not in line with internal practices, the brand risks making its actions less credible and deteriorating its external representation and reputation. SM Custom Packaging provides the best wholesale custom packaging at cheap prices.

The visual identity, the first tool for disseminating the brand image

After having carried out the identity study, it is necessary to gather the collected information and transform it into visuals. The visual communication of a brand makes it possible to convey an innumerable number of messages subtly.

The visual identity is first transmitted by:

·         a graphic charter: choice of colors and typographies

·         a visual style: choice of the tone conveyed (relaxed, luxurious, sporty, serious) and the corresponding graphic codes (rounded, geometric, unstructured)

These two parameters will make it possible to create a logo and a slogan or to modify the existing one. Indeed, it is sometimes necessary to change logo, charter and / or graphic line to improve consistency and relevance.

These components of the visual identity must be present in each medium disseminated by the brand, such as television advertisements, the website, and publications on social networks, order forms or even signatures at the end of the email.

Marketing and communication campaigns to convey the image and increase awareness

Once the visual charter has been defined and the image constructed, they must then be disseminated in a strategic manner. This is why it is essential to establish a marketing plan and a communication strategy that will make it possible to reach the targeted individuals.

This communication must be accompanied by a brand marketing strategy to support the message to be conveyed and further increase the reputation of the company.

Consumers' perception of brands can change over time in a positive or negative way. Successful actions accompanied by an increase in customer satisfaction will promote a positive mental representation of the brand. On the contrary, it can be undermined by a negative word of mouth phenomenon also called bad buzz.

The bad buzz, absolute danger for a brand image

Even with a very strong image, a bad buzz can have a disastrous impact on a company's reputation and therefore be detrimental to its health. It can lead to a drop in consumer satisfaction and confidence, hamper sales and therefore lower turnover.

Nowadays, a bad experience with a brand or a negative ad can spread very quickly on the Internet, especially on social networks. Brands that are victims of negative word of mouth must react very quickly at all costs.

For example, in 2016, Samsung suffered a very significant bad buzz. The phone brand has been slow to take complaints from its customers about overheating of a smartphone model into consideration and minimize them. Consumers then shared the photos of their damaged devices on social networks, which amplified the phenomenon. As a result, Samsung has lost the trust of some customers who have completely turned away from it and gone to the competition. In addition, the price of its shares on the stock market has fallen significantly and its loss of turnover has been colossal. Without its strong notoriety and international power, Samsung could have been in great danger.

Studies show that 91% of brands that react quickly with an apology or a suitable ad after experiencing this kind of phenomenon have succeeded in allaying the discontent and mitigating the negative effects.

Social networks and the instant sharing of consumer opinions greatly influence the reputation and e-reputation of brands and companies. It is therefore essential to monitor the perception of your brand on the Internet and social media to always be aware of a peak in satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Monitor and cultivate your brand image

The image of a sign must be maintained at all times. To carry out ever more relevant actions, it is essential to know how to measure your brand image and assess its notoriety. It is in the light of these assessments that a company will be able to adjust its strategy and carry out effective and quality brand marketing and communication actions in order to have an external representation that corresponds to its identity and its values.