Branding vs. brand. What’s the difference?
Branding is not ‘brand’. It’s a discipline.
It's time to talk about the title of this show. What is branding? How does it relate to brand? And marketing? And how can we define ourselves as a discipline?
Subscribe to the podcast on your favourite podcast listener.
Subscribe on Apple podcasts
Subscribe on Spotify
Subscribe on Google Podcasts
Or you can subscribe to the newsletter below this page to get the latest episode in your inbox.
SHOW NOTES
Branding is the deliberate, continuous process of developing observable, distinctive, assets associated with a product or service.
A mouthful, let's break that down:
Deliberate: You might 'have' a brand whether you like it or not, but the act of 'branding' is intentional. It's a conscious effort to create a brand.
Continuous: Branding is not a one-time effort. It's a constant act of refreshing, fine-tuning, and creation, based on consumers perception of the brand.
Process: Branding doesn't happen 'randomly'. It's a process with well defined stages, building on a validated strategy process that enables a creative output.
Developing: Branding is not just about 'creating' new assets. It's a deliberate choice of investing in certain assets and downgrading others.
Observable: Branding is the translation between brand strategy and the actual touchpoints consumers see. Things like 'positioning' or business goals are not directly noticeable at a brand level. Sound, graphics, messages, photography, tone of voice, motion. They are all assets that are part of a brand's observable surface.
Distinctive: To be distinct means to be able to recognize easily. It means not being confused with competitors. It means being recognized as your company. Not to be confused with being different.
Assets: An asset is a resource for a company. Branding is about developing assets that have a clear return on investment. They are not just 'creative ideas'; they are quantifiable assets on a companies balance sheet.
Associated: Association works on different levels. Branding needs to work unconsciously and consciously. On the first, most crucial level, a brand needs to send the right signals for our autopilot to pick up on.
Thank you so much for listening. If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter below. This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount.
This episode is supported by HolaBrief
Very few projects end up with exceptional results. HolaBrief makes it easy to ask all the right questions and nail your design brief every time. Built by designers, for designers. Get early access to Holabrief by subscribing now.
