Building A Brand Narrative
by Adwright, 11 September, 2020
A brand narrative is the story your brand tells, and this is the story that makes consumers pay attention to your brand. Having a strong brand narrative means identifying why you do what you do, how you go about doing it, and what it is you are doing. Answering “how” and “what” usually isn’t a huge challenge. The bigger challenge is defining your “why”. Why does your brand exist?
Identifying why your brand exists and its overarching purpose will ground your brand narrative, and be a driving force behind everything your brand says and does. With careful planning, this could also result in a loyal customer base who returns to your brand.
Brand Name and Logo
Shakespeare might have said “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, but that rule doesn’t apply to branding. Culture, context, and relevance to what you do are all important boxes that have to be ticked. Regardless of how effective or high quality your product is, a culturally or contextually inappropriate brand name could make or break your brand.
To take a well-known example , look at Sam and Ella’s Chicken Palace. While it looks innocent at first glance, saying the name aloud sounds remarkably like “Salmonella”, a disease you can get from improperly prepared chicken. Given that they sell food, it is probably not the best association. This is a great example of how important your brand name is to your business – and the unintentional, but sometimes damaging, associations consumers can make with your brand name.
A brand logo should tell your audience what your brand is about, and embody what makes it unique. Your logo becomes the face of your brand, and is usually the visual that will be associated most heavily with your brand. Keep in mind that logos should be simple, as they’ll need to be scaled up or down for various brand communication touchpoints. Good logo design aids greatly in brand recall, which is priceless in and of itself.
Brand Voice and Tagline
Your brand voice is how your brand communicates with your audience. The tone of voice your brand uses in social media, on your website, and so on, should be consistent and appealing to your target audience.
For example, a luxury watch brand like Rolex is not likely to adopt the latest Tik Tok lingo into their social media post. In the same way, brands with a younger demographic, like Nike or Supreme, avoid speaking too formally. That’s because overly formal messages might create a disconnect with younger audiences.
With taglines, less is more. A concise line of copy that further elaborates on what your company does is all it needs to be. Longer taglines are seldom memorable ones, and it could result in customers not remembering the purpose of your company.
Brand Aesthetics
Communication touchpoints such as a business’s’ website, product packaging, and other aesthetic elements of your brand set the tone for the way your brand is perceived. If your brand looks mismatched or badly put together, it’s a sure-fire way to put off your target audience.
Returning to the earlier example of Rolex, their brand aesthetics are strong and consistent on every channel. On their website, their choice of simple, sans serif fonts make the brand look sleek and modern. The Rolex website also uses beautiful product images focused on their watches, without any unnecessary background images. Apart from being visually pleasing, their brand imagery communicates the timelessness of Rolex watches by using compelling imagery, clean fonts, and website design.
When planning the general aesthetics and visual elements of your brand, ensuring consistent imagery is paramount. Consistent branding across multiple channels makes your brand memorable in the minds of your target audience.
Social Media
Ever since the rise of social media, brands all over the world have been using this nifty tool to connect with their audiences. Social media is an effective way to establish your brand positioning, engage your target audience, and grab attention. However, it should be noted that the type of social media you use is just as important as the message you put out.
If your target audience is above 30 – 40, your message will have a better chance of reaching them on Facebook, whereas younger consumers are more likely to be found on Instagram. If you’re a business to business provider? Your best bet is probably LinkedIn instead of Twitter.
In fact, luxury brands like Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Cartier can also be found on LinkedIn. Since they target older and more affluent consumers, career centred social media gives them access to older, more established professionals who have the spending power to purchase luxury products.
By tailoring your brand’s digital marketing content to your identified target audience, it makes it easier for you to reach your target audience and engage with them.
Conclusion
Building your brand narrative isn’t easy. But well-established brands all over the world have proven that it’s not only an immense aid to your business but a way to bring your brand to the forefront of your industry. A strong brand identity differentiates your brand, establishing its purpose while resonating with your consumers.
Adwright has more than 20 years of experience in helping businesses establish their brand’s narrative and curate their brand identity. If you are looking to begin building your brand or giving your current brand a refresh, Adwright can help. Call us today at +65 6227 7227 or email us at enquiry@adwright.com to find out more about our services.
