Identity: The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known.
"Brand identity is the unique set of brand associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain. These associations represent what the brand stands for and imply a promise to the customers from the organization." — David Aaker.
"Brand identity refers to the producer’s side of a brand. Having an identity means being your true self. "— Jean-Noël Kapferer.
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| Rupin Jayal |
"Brand identity refers to that part of a brand that makes it more attractive as a possible purchase. It is a product of the melding of a brand’s positioning and strategic personality, and the singular way in which those two components stream together." — Lynn Upshaw.
"The failure to develop and commit to a clear and meaningful brand identity, in essence the reason to be is our single best predictor for the weakness of a brand." — David Miller - Phinney/Bischoff Design House, Seattle.
There are many interpretations and definitions of the term “Brand Identity.” There are also many models used in describing the anatomy of a brand’s identity. However, despite the body of work done on the subject, the virtual universal acceptance of the value of brands (Interbrand now estimates that 70% of the average FTSE company’s value is based on intangibles — The Dawn of the Ethical Brand, Chris Davis and Corrine Moy - GfK NOP MRS 2007) and the fact that millions are poured into the creation, development, sustenance, or rejuvenation of brands, actual examples of brands that have created and nurtured a distinct identity over a period of time are few and far between. Identity is not just the way a brand “looks” but the way it acts, feels, interacts and relates to its environment.
What is brand identity? It is truly the “hot button” by which a brand is recognized and that enables it to connect with the people who buy it, the people who manage it, the people who supply goods and services to support it, the people who express opinions about it and even the people who reject it. It includes but is not limited to the logo, the colors, sounds and sometimes even smells, uniquely associated with it. It is both a physical entity as well as a set of values, beliefs, convictions, tenets and the overall vision for the brand. It is encapsulated in those precious few words that anyone aware and/or associated with it expresses spontaneously. It is embedded in the arguments that its loyalist have in favor of it. It is articulated by those who wish to be a part of managing it and it is inherent in the reasons why its competitors are wary of it.
There are a large number of factors that play a key role in creating and sustaining the identity of a brand — symbolism and iconography, graphic identity, communication, core brand values, benefits and brand characteristics, products/services and category definition, perception of the people who use it, role of the category and brand in people’s lives. It needs to be both of its times and yet immortal. Hence, it must evolve over time but any dramatic change to it needs to be dealt with extreme care. Associations take a great deal of time to form in the mind. Once firmly implanted, they become a part of the culture. Disturbing them entirely results in virtually starting from scratch; evolution ensures that they remain relevant, without losing their place.
A simple way to define brand identity is:
The intrinsic brand comprises all the factors that constitute the brand mentioned above.
The socio-cultural context is critical as it can impact the relevance and how the brand is perceived by people. For example, in the post World War II years, order, discipline, decency and conformity were very important values. Thus, a brand that represented opposing values suffered. Hence, "You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda" was totally in sync with the tenor of the times and Harley Davidson’s “outlaw” image was not. In the recent past, the core value of self-empowerment and the need to rebel against mundane everyday life, the growth of individualism, the search for an individual identity and the need to find ways to express masculinity in an increasingly non-masculine world, all contributed to the dramatic resurgence of Harley Davidson. While this was not the only reason, the socio-cultural context was a critical catalyst. However, Harley Davidson has also evolved to remain relevant and desirable to the next generation with the launch of the V-rod and most recently the XR 1200. Whether these more “modern” models will dilute the classic nature of the brand’s identity and put off purists or strengthen and widen its connect with a new generation, has to be seen. Similarly, Porsche moved into an entirely new category, seemingly quite antithetical to high performance sports cars when it launched the Porsche Cayenne. There was an outburst of indignation by Porsche loyalists — a clear indicator of how powerfully the identity of the brand was ingrained within them. Similarly the saga of “new” Coke shows that the identity of the brand went far farther than merely bottle carbonated water and was one of the icons of “Americana.”
Virgin too seeks to maintain its iconoclastic identity, which it carries across categories. Similarly, Apple imbues categories with its own values as we have seen it do with computers, portable music and mobile phones. The brand identity is now so strong that it could enter any (unrelated) technology category and the prospective buyers would be very clear about what to expect, as would the employees in terms of what they have to deliver.
The marketplace here is not in terms of the category alone but the entire commercial ecosystem within which a brand that may be present in multiple categories, operates.
To develop a distinct brand identity one must, instead of starting with the product or service and the category that it operates within, start with the brand itself. Given the way brands evolve outside their categories of origin and the massive cost of creating brands in most markets, it is increasingly important to define the core brand’s real estate in people’s minds and leaving products and services associated with it to emerge basis opportunity and resource availability. Google started out as a search engine, but now offers a wide array of Web-based products, most of which are not intrinsically related to Web-based search. Many would be unaware that Wipro was originally a brand of commodities and consumer products. Tata brings its own identity to any category that it enters and it is not limited to any single category.
Apple, Virgin, Dunhill, Porsche, Mont Blanc are just some of the brands that have transcended category but where their own identity has not been diluted. Nothing is more powerful than a clearly articulated brand core and even more importantly, a well understood identity. People remember the core identity of a brand and that evokes the whole meaning of the brand for them. If we meet a guy who we label “the mimic” in our minds then forever when we meet the person, even after a very long time, he or she will have a unique space in our memory. Hence the feeling of familiarity and the resulting warmth would be significantly enhanced versus someone whose name we struggle to remember. We use this ability to create identities to not just remember people, but also to connect with those who we remember.
Similarly a brand that is more than just a name and has a clearly defined sense of who it is — its personality, its values, what it seeks to do for us — stands out in our minds and occupies a special place in our hearts. This will be a brand that we will greet with warmth no matter what product or service it appears upon, just so long as those core means of identity do not get diluted.
As the world goes through a time of unprecedented turmoil and these peculiar times see audacious hope in the form of Barack Obama and insecurity financially and physically, brands with a clearly defined and articulated identity, while certainly not solving the problems of the world, will bring a sense of stability and an oasis of trust. When the world emerges from its current turmoil, these brands will come to acquire a far more powerful place in people’s lives. Brands have played such a role in the past in numerous cases — GM in the US ("because for years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa" — Charles Erwin Wilson President GM 1953), Surya Tobacco in Nepal, Tata and Infosys in India, Rolls Royce in the UK are just some examples.
The power of brand identity is as a beacon and also an anchor. It has the capability to transcend category and products. Articulated, nurtured and evolved effectively it can build a bulwark against adversity. As mediums to communicate it proliferate, it will be even more critical to safeguard it, articulate it and enrich it. Those who choose it will want to be encouraged to play a more active role in nurturing it. The Apple faithful, the HOG (Harley Owners Group), Snapple, Swatch clubs and the Linux community are examples of co-created and nurtured brands with a very clearly articulated identity “owned” by more than just their managers. But to ensure that co-creation and nurturing does not result in chaos, a clearly defined and consistently maintained brand identity will be even more critical.
The author is Director-Strategic Planning at M&C Saatchi.
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written by hiphone, September 14, 2010
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