Power of Brand Consistency
Posted by Jaci Russo
Pepsi and Coke Logos
There has been quite a bit of confusion ever since branding became a buzz word. Often, brand (how a consumer feels about a product) is confused with brand identity (the logo). And now, just to complicate matters, brand has now become synonymous with company and with product.
No matter how you use the word, brand has value and it can not be treated lightly.
In looking at the changes that Pepsi and Coke have gone through over the past 125 years, is it just a coincidence that Coca-Cola has been the market leader the entire time?
Every year, Interbrand and Business Week partner to release the report on the Best Global Brands. For the ninth year in a row, Coca-Cola has held the number one spot and this year, their brand has a value of 68,734 ($m). That’s 68 Billion dollars - with a B. Look at the comparison between Pepsi and Coke again.
Brand identity and consistency are daily topics at our office. We place an enormous value on this important asset. And don’t for a minute think that the brand identity of a company - the logo - isn’t an asset. For some companies, this asset has more value than their employees (people come and go) or their products (ask Apple how their Newton is selling today).
To understand why branding is so important, we have to look at the origin of the word ‘brand’. Farmers branded their livestock with the unique mark (logo) of their farm. The quality of the livestock differed and the townspeople were able to tell them apart by their brand. From the earliest days, brands were used to differentiate and provide an identity that signified value.
And today?
Brand identity is even more important and more valuable. Why? Well, to start, there are more companies than ever before in each category. Your logo is the first point of contact (touchpoint) that a potential consumer has with a company. And it doesn’t matter if the company has one employee working out of a house or a global empire with thousands of employees - the brand identity is one of the most important assets a company has.
Consistency = Trust
If a company isn’t consistent with their brand identity - changes colors, uses different typefaces, allows vendors to alter it on a whim, makes trendy choices that require frequent updates, etc - then how can the consumer trust them to consistently deliver a great product and service. Whether the consumer is picking a product off the shelf or selecting a company from a stack of proposals, they are going to select the one they know the best. If the logo changes, how will they recognize the company and it’s products?
A strong brand identity uses a harmonious blend of art and science to build a bond with consumers. The logo uses a unique blend of color, typeface, and mark to tell a story…to tell consumers what to think. It takes time, money, effort and a little bit of luck to get consumers to become advocates of your company and product.
Why would you risk throwing all of that away by not being consistent?
Your efforts will either build your brand or tear it down.
