Whether
you run a business, a campaign or event, or are even just a person (which I
hope you are, unless you are a heartless bot), you spend a lot of your time
with branding. What was once a term used solely by cattle farmers,
branding is now a word that encompasses a multitude of business practices aimed
at improving a business or individual image. Being concerned with impression
management, which is an attempt to control the way in which others perceive
you, takes a significant investment in terms of both time and energy.
Therefore, if you are dissatisfied with your overall brand image, it might be
time to revitalize your personal or professional theme.
Granted, it is often difficult
to push the boundaries or our own comfort zone; not to mention how hard it is
to get an employer or client to see the benefit of retooling the online
appearance of a company or initiative. However, if a brand re-design is
approached in a strategic, as well as a proactive manner, the positive
attention gained from a captive audience can yield unimaginable returns on a
new image.
Although it is not always
advisable to adhere to certain guerilla
marketing techniques that prey on easily excitable audiences, like those
used to promote Tucker Max’s I Hope They
Serve Beer in Hell or Wendy’s notoriously sassy tweet style, it can be of
benefit to surprise prospective customers by adding a dash of spice into your
otherwise bland brand. Catching people off guard, especially in a time governed
by gratuitously shocking content in every media channel imaginable, from
Netflix to the nightly news, can give you the competitive edge.
Rising above your uninspired competitors can attract an engaged
customer, interested future employer, or intrigued benefactor, making the
difference between a win and an avoidable loss. Converting uninterested
passersby into engaged audience members is a more attainable goal than most
marketing professionals think. Imagine building your brand as artistically as a
sculptor moulds a masterpiece; instead of using clay, you have blocks of text
and vivid images at your disposal to ensure that as you chisel away at
unnecessary chunks of your brand image, you transform an unrecognizable entity
into something beautiful. On top of that, by utilizing your unique creative strengths,
you will create something that cannot be imitated and is not easily
reproducible, which in turn preserves your originality.
As your brand transforms into a thing of beauty, capable of catching
the eye of those who matter most to yourself of your business, you will then be
able to identify with something to be proud of. Pride in your brand identity
encourages you and your team to push forward, exploring avenues previously
thought as being off-brand. Just think if you continued to convey the same attitude,
appearance, and tone of voice as you did as a teenager; your image would be
outdated, mismatched to who you have become as a person, and your impression
management would be quite mismanaged. It is for this reason that
incorporating some flair or sharping the edges of your blunt design can thrust
your image to the forefront of any channel or marketplace. Besides, the great
thing about brand image is that it is never set in stone and is always capable
of being retooled into the perfect piece of art. Your greatest resource is
always in infinite supply: creativity.
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