Fun and Easy Ways to Investigate Branding to Understand Your Client
When it comes to branding, there is no better way to brand your product or business than to get inside the minds of your clients. Building a brand that is going to be popular amongst your clients, that will represent your company successfully and a brand that you yourself like, can take forever and you may still not come up with something that has the effects that you would like. However, no matter whether you are a branding expert or a beginner there are some easy ways to help give you ideas about brands and logos that will appeal to your ideal client.
Personally I find that when I am outside of my office, I am overwhelmed with ideas about branding options, logos, blog posts, marketing pitches etc. but when I have to seriously think about any of the above I find it extremely difficult. Unless you are extremely creative and artistically gifted, the chances of you coming up with a unique brand idea and a unique logo whilst sat at your desk with a blank piece of paper and a pen are very slim indeed. This is why it is important to get inside the minds of your clients, which can be quite easy to do because after all you too are somebody else’s client.
Exercise one: think about the brands you like
Is it a clothing brand? Is it a sports brand? Is there a car brand that you like? Think about what makes these products more interesting to you in comparison with their fellow brand equivalents or their non-branded equivalents. What makes you buy these products? What makes you buy these brand names? You could even wander around your home or office to see which everyday brands and products stand out to you; take note of the font they use and the language they use to advertise their company and products. Once you figure out what attracts you to these brands and items, write them down.
Exercise two: Examine them carefully and look beyond the surface
What ideas do they use? Colours? Tone?
Take the brand Nike for example: You go shopping and see a non-branded pair of trainers in a shop, you do not turn your head to glare at them, you are not particularly impressed by them and they do not stand out to you, as you just don’t feel that you need them. Upon returning home, you sit down to relax and notice an advertisement on the television, advertising the newest model of Nike trainers. The advertisement is supported by an upbeat lively music track, a person with a fantastic figure wearing the trainers and doing exercises that only those who are extremely fit and athletic may be able to manage and then the trainers are finally revealed with an up-close shot of them. You don’t just want the trainers, you want the image, you want the figure of the person in the video, you want people to look at you the way you look at them and you want to be able to do what the person in the advert can do.
Exercise three: How can you adapt what you know to your business?
Creating a brand for your business or product is made up of establishing: a memorable business name, unique logo, the ability to establish a connection with the potential client along with persuasive but completely factual advertising that does not come across as the spam-like, pushy, old-fashioned type of persuasive sales.
Exploring branding and advertising does not have to be difficult if you use what you know.
