The Vital Role
of Creativity
in Brand Building
by David Mikula & David Harris
ISSUE NO. 1
The Vital Role of Creativity in Brand Building
A
successful and lasting brand does not happen by accident, though some
gifted entrepreneurs make it look it easy. The truth is that brands are
carefully constructed with a lot of planning, strategy and hard work going
into every detail. We wish to acknowledge the importance of business acumen,
real world experience and a sound business model — many books have been
written on these subjects. Instead we want to focus on the sometimes overlooked
but equally crucial role of creativity in developing a successful brand.
First, it is essential to understand what a brand is and what it is not. A brand
is not a slogan, a logo or even a product. It’s not something you can actually
hold in your hand. There is no single word in the English language that is a
precise synonym for brand. A brand is the gut feeling that people have about
a company, product or service. If enough people share the same feeling about
a product, it has been branded. This can be a tricky concept for many otherwise
savvy business people to grasp, but it is indeed an important distinction: The
brand is not the actual company, product or service — it’s the way people feel,
think and react to it.
Second, we must take a look at what creativity is. Creativity can be expressed
in many ways — through art, design, writing, music and countless other ways.
In fact, the great thing about creative people is they keep coming up with ways
to demonstrate their creativity. Boiled down to the most fundamental level,
creativity is about two key things:
1. The ability to see things differently from how other people see them
2. The ability to represent thoughts and ideas in ways that no one else has
considered yet
It’s easy to see how these abilities can be helpful when developing a unique
and memorable brand.
It’s about research and analysis, right?
That’s not very creative.
In order to succeed, you must know your customers, your competitors and the
marketplace in which you’re competing. That knowledge comes from research.
It’s critically important and we do not wish to downplay its value. But analysis and
logic is all very left-brain stuff. When do we get to the creativity?
The difference between a mediocre brand and a great one can be summed up
in one word: Differentiation. It’s the one thing or series of things that makes a
brand unique and sets it apart from its competition. It could be a trade secret,
something that you’re lucky enough to have patented so that no one else
could possibly copy it. The difference could also be in the brand experience that
customers have when they interact with your staff. The difference could be
A brand is not a
slogan, a logo or
even a product.
It’s not something
you can actually
hold in your hand.
The Vital Role of Creativity in Brand Building
subtle or radical, as long as your brand is not like all the rest. Differentiation is
uniqueness and uniqueness comes from creativity.
Successful brands connect with customers on an emotional level. Customers become loyal to a brand because they like something — not necessarily everything
— about it. Customers may find the quality of the product merely average,
but the purchasing experience exceptional. They could walk right past less
expensive choices if they are captivated
by another brand’s personality. Ben &
Jerry’s ice cream has built a loyal following
on a fun and quirky brand personality.
Consumers can be attracted or repulsed
by packaging design. A creative approach is much more likely than a pragmatic
one to lead to the emotional connection that customers long to have with their
favorite brands.
An unbiased perspective
Entrepreneurs, CEOs, and company founders usually have an intimate
relationship with their business. They’re already blindly in love with their brand,
making it difficult for them to pinpoint the meaningful differentiators that will
resonate with potential customers. Companies seeking to build strong and
differentiated brands should seek out the services of professional creative
firms for the same reasons that lawyers should not represent themselves in
court and doctors should not diagnose their own illnesses. A creative firm will
turn convention on its head and scrutinize a brand from every imaginable
angle. A process that can yield surprising results.
Creative interpretation of a brand’s assets, its promise and personality are essential
to creating a unique and memorable brand. The most common application of
creative thinking is in the development of the brand identity, but creative
interpretation of a brand’s attributes can manifest itself in other ways that add
measurable value. A brand identity consists of a logo and all other visual and
sensory components that create recognition of the brand in the customer’s mind.
Other ways to strengthen your brand with creative thought include:
• put a unique spin on your brand promise
• create a memorable brand experience for customers
• develop a distinctive identity and use it consistently across all touch
points with customers and potential customers — advertising, packaging,
correspondence, website, signage, invoices and more
• formulate a communications/marketing/advertising/PR strategy that stays
on message based on the brand’s values and personality
A creative firm
will turn convention
on its head and
scrutinize a brand
from every
imaginable angle.
The Vital Role of Creativity in Brand Building
The most successful brands in the world turn to outside firms for help. One of
the most creative and innovative companies in the world is Apple, Inc., maker
of Mac computers, iPods and iPhones. Apple nearly single-handedly changed
the way the world buys music and accesses the internet.
It consistently demonstrates creative excellence with
elegantly-designed products and packaging as well as
through the brand experiences available every day in
any Apple Store. Yet when it came time for a creative
interpretation of their products’ strengths in an ad
campaign, Apple looked outside their Cupertino campus
to one of the country’s most imaginative agencies — TBWA. The result is one
of the most talked about and parodied campaigns ever — the I’m a Mac, I’m a
PC campaign. The idea is simple yet sublime. The characters are memorable and
the writing is sharp. Sure, the TV spots are fun to watch, but what exactly did this
show of creative genius do for the brand? Aside from defining Mac as hip and
confident, it also helped move the meter on market share. In 2006 when the
campaign began, the Mac had 4.68% of the global operating system market
compared to Windows 94.85%. By the end of 2008, Mac owned 8.03%* of the
market share. Simply put, creativity works.
Conclusion
Creativity alone will not ensure the success of a brand. On the other hand, no
amount of market research can guarantee success either. The key is to pair creativity with data to lead to a unique, exciting and memorable brand. The research
keeps the creative team focused on the brand’s attributes and target audience.
The creativity makes sure the brand’s story is compelling. Don’t skimp on either.
* Source: Techspotlight.today.com
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©2013 Mikula|Harris Inc.
The key is to
pair creativity
with data to
lead to a unique,
exciting and
memorable brand.