Paul began by talking about Google. He posed the question, is Google a brand? Most people use Google every day in some form or another. It could be the search engine or Gmail but in essence, it means everyone comes across the Google logo daily. Despite this, if you asked someone to fill in the colours of the Google logo they most likely would not be able to place them. This real-life example proved Paul’s point that branding is not just a logo. It is not just an identity or a mission statement. 

The origins of Branding

Branding is something that’s been happening for thousands of years. Paul gave us the low down on a few places branding has been identified throughout the years. It has been spotted as far back as the times of the Ancient Egyptians who used to engage in cattle branding and even in Ancient Roman and Greek culture where they used to brand their pottery. 

Different definitions of Branding

Branding has changed since these times and has grown to be defined in many different ways. Paul gave a few examples of how branding has been defined over the years. The American Marketing Association defines a brand as, ‘a name, term, design symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.’ This is quite a long definition and while the things mentioned can be components of branding they are not the be all and end all of a successful brand. 

David Ogilvy calls a brand, ‘the intangible sum of a product’s attributes.’ Paul reckons that this definition is more appropriate considering that humans are emotional and intuitive creatures. The final definition Paul broke down was one by Marty Newmeier who said; ‘a brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organisation.’ This is Paul’s favourite summary of what a brand is as it captures that a brand is something more than what you can physically touch. He did point out that even though, ‘gut feeling,’ implies an instant reaction, there is still an opportunity to influence opinions and for them to change over time. Paul has summarised all of these definitions as the ‘emotional response a person has towards your business.’

How Brands interact with their clients

Monumental changes have taken place in company-client communications in the past 10-20 years since the digital boom. It is more direct and in terms of their audience. This means creating a positive emotion and interaction from the start is imperative to who your brand is. It is the foundation of how clients will see you and will have a waterfall effect on the success of your business. You can’t control what the public say and how they spread the message of your brand but you can control how you put yourself out there and what you say and do as a brand.

What traits make up a good Brand?

Personality

Paul went through 8 points that put together, compose a good brand. The first thing to keep in mind is to be clear on who you are as a brand. What are your characteristics? And how do you interact with your clients online and in person? Paul gave the example of Coqbull, a chain of restaurants which can be very tongue in cheek in their branding. They are confident and unapologetic with their personality, you would know their material at a glance. 

Value

You must ask yourself what value your business provides to your clients. This isn’t necessarily your USP but it can be similar. You need to be clear on the change your business will ignite in a person's life and show them how. This is what evokes an emotional response. 

Define & Conquer  

Your audience is never everyone. You must be clear on who your audience is to know how to speak to them. Learn there likes, dislikes and values so you can communicate with them. You can’t speak to everyone the same so you must be specific and pay attention. Toyota is a brand that has made good work of dominating the eco-conscious car market, practically creating it. 

Consistency

As a brand, you must stick with your values and personality. Be wary of trends and jumping on the bandwagon. Sometimes a trend isn’t for you and it’s important to put the integrity of your brand over the urge to participate in something that might not be in line with what you have built. Making sure you tell the story of your brand every time you communicate is something to keep in mind here. Paul pointed out the brand Innocent smoothies who do this very well. Their copy is unique and always discernible. There is an air of playfulness and childishness in all of their content.

Keep your promises

Be a brand of your word. This builds a positive reputation and trust within your client base. Paul recounted the story of O’Flynn’s Sausages being asked when they would release a vegan sausage during a Built in Cork panel at REPUBLIC OF WORK. David replied that they had tried but the recipes they had been working on so far just weren’t up to the standard they wanted. This shows how O’Flynn’s values the quality of their product and you can be sure when they do release an alternative product that it will be of the highest standard. 

Word of mouth

A digital message can spread without you ever even intending it too. The bigger the digital era gets the more people tend to forget that word of mouth can now be digital too. By creating a positive interaction and letting it spread you are creating a digital community that can grow. It makes people want to engage as they feel like they are becoming a part of something bigger. Paul brought up the brand Revolut, an example of a brand that works mainly on recommendations. They encourage people to partake by offering an incentive to both them and their friend who recommends it. People sing their praises as a brand because of the interaction they create. 

Expression 

People express their identity through their external needs according to Paul. This means when people use a product service it makes a statement as to who they are. This dips into the physiological form of a person. A brand should consider what someone expresses by using their product. Paul spoke about Irish brand Gym + Coffee, who have harnessed the expression behind their product wonderfully. Their social media content is powered by the public which creates a huge sense of community between the people who wear their clothes. User generated content as well as wearing the Gym + Coffee gear makes people feel like they are part of a tribe. 

Be emotional 

Lastly, Paul volunteered the brand Nike. He highlighted how good they are at connecting with people on an emotional level by showing them what they could achieve rather than pushing their product sales. They have people centric advertising to maintain the successes of their customers which makes them feel good. This is an excellent way of selling as people find it easier to connect with the emotion behind the brand. 

Paul delivered an excellent Lunch & Learn which gave a concise overview of the many components which create a good brand. By implementing the points Paul investigated, you can make your brand more accessible to your client base and therefore more successful.