What does a brand do?
We could talk in circles all day about what a brand is. But, a more useful pursuit is to ask what a brand does. It's more practical, and it's how we start our brand building process at Found.
A brand can do 3 things—hold meaning, build interest and create intention.
1. A brand holds meaning.
At its most basic, a brand is a “hook” on which to hang your meaning.
To make a brand distinctive and memorable, we start with three elements:
a name
a symbol
and a concept
A unique name and symbol are easy enough to remember, but a concept ties a deeper meaning and embeds the brand into your memory in a lasting way.
Think of Nike, the swoosh. What do you think of? The name, symbol and concept behind Nike is: "Nike is the Winged Goddess of Victory. The logo is derived from goddess' wing 'swoosh', which symbolises the sound of speed, movement, power and motivation." Maybe you didn’t know this exact meaning, but you likely have a similar association.
That’s where the Nike swoosh started, the strength of their symbol/concept combination allowed the brand to build and hold more meaning over time as the company evolved and made choices that are now tied to that symbol.
2. A brand builds interest.
Building interest is about fueling curiosity and a community where people want to belong.
There are simple and complicated ways to create interest; they can be emotional, functional, status-driven or all of the above.
One of our clients is Honest Barber. That name is highly functional for customers because 'Honest Barber' is crystal clear about what you'll get. Both words in the name are familiar and common but the combination is unusual, which makes them interesting, memorable and easy to google.
The brand also pulls double duty by signaling to fellow barbers that this shop cares about the history and community of barber shops. This feeling of community attracts barbers with a love of the craft, ensuring top notch service for customers. Full circle.
That's a lot of heavy lifting for a single brand.
3. A brand creates intention.
The most important thing a brand does is to create intention for you and your team.
It's also the part of a brand that often gets the least attention.
The intention that you create works as a decision-making tool every time you make a choice or answer important questions. Not just "Does this packaging look right?" but "Do we want to make this product?". The way you define yourself not only influences your decisions, it influences the type of talent or customer you attract.
We recently went through an identity discovery phase with a client in finance. In our sessions we identified a key concept that is unique to her. She's a financial advisor, but she comes from a long line of farmers. This shaped the way she thinks about investing - as cyclical, with ebbs and flows and intentional periods of planting and harvesting. We built this concept into her brand to speak directly to those customers.
She also uses this intention when she’s vetting new accounts or new hires, ultimately looking for people that share this same mindset. Her business has grown exponentially because her customers and employees feel understood and she's not wasting time trying to retain those that simply aren't the right fit.
When you think about developing your brand, ask yourself what you want your brand to do for you. This practical question will help you stay focused and prioritize where you spend your time and money.
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Written by Vesy Ivanova
Partner, Brand Strategy
Vesy has big ideas. And we mean big. Yet she innately crafts the vision for what is possible and makes the possible believable. Driven by curiosity, her hands-on collaborative style produces smart, strategic solutions for Found’s clients.
