Why You Should Embrace Creative Branding In A Fast Changing World

A brand takes time to establish, and yet the reputation of a brand can be damaged almost instantaneously.

When we are trying to create a brand we consider the audience we are trying to attract to our product or service.

A good brand won’t just make something look appealing, they will show empathy and consider the emotions their potential market experiences, and adjust their products and services accordingly to what their market desires or needs.

When you’ve spent a long time considering your brand positioning, it can then be very tempting to try and tap into the recipe other brands within the same area are adopting.

You might hear marketers say how ‘it doesn’t matter what you like aesthetically, you should develop your brand identity around what the market validates’.

They would be half right.

Of course, to suddenly brand yourself in a way that is completely unrecognisable to the market you are trying to appeal to would be foolish, and a waste of some hard work trying to identify your market in the first place.

However, there comes a point where simply copying what the market currently validates would also be foolish, especially in a market that is competitive and which is moving quickly.

The fact is that today most markets move quicker and many are disruptive.

That is now generally the norm, and so to consider branding yourself behind traditional and dated measures would potentially put yourself in a losing position, one of a dinosaur not seeing change come quick enough.

You’d also just become another brand that followed the same principle and process as others in your field, so how would you stand out?

Take estate agents for example.

How many estate agents are names as partners?

So & So, Ben & Nevis, Blah & Blah (you get the point).

Whilst the above aren’t real examples, the common occurrence is to see the names of partners in an attempt to look trustworthy and safe to potential buyers. The idea is that if two people can be trusted and loyal partners then they will be to you also, and you’re much more likely to buy into something you can trust.

Simple really. And it has worked, for decades. Only, now if you think of an estate agent you will likely get confused over who is who.

You know that Something & Something is an estate agent due to the common principle of using partners as a brand name, but could you distinguish between which brand name is better suited for you when they are all very similar?

Unlikely.

When markets become saturated, as many are today, it’s important to consider how you appear to your audience when it’s just as easy for them to pick someone else.

You don’t have to break tradition completely. After all, there’s a reason why the ‘partners’ branding worked, but you could look at it a more creative and refreshing way if you were to appeal to a particular target audience.

To take a funny example, Feesh & Chips would be a captivating name for cheaper holiday resorts (buys and rentals) across British coastal towns.

Or you could go away from the ‘partners’ angle and stand out by being brave enough to become a forward-thinking estate agent that breaks the mold, does things differently, but brands itself in a way that appeal to an audience who maybe want more versatility in how they live or who are particular first time buyer crowds.

Then you can niche your brand closer around those personas, like creating starter packages to help first time buyers into their new homes.

A key element behind branding that seems to be forgotten behind too many analytic metrics is in how it’s often your creativity behind how you can empathise with your desired audience that creates trusts, far more than just follow tried and trusted methods are will likely become outdated as we move forward.

You see. In fast-moving times branding is changing.

To rebrand isn’t such a bold move anymore when the authority of a long established brand doesn’t appeal to a market that has moved on.

Then there’s AI now making it incredibly easy to consider different variables around your brand identity so you can choose the most fitting direction to take.

Branding is still as important as ever, possibly more so considering the huge amount of new, disrupted, and saturated markets.

Positioning yourself is different though.

Trust is still vitally important, but to build it you have to be aware of how you are being attentive to the changing needs and desires of your audience, and this is where it pays to be creative and forward-thinking in your problem solving.