BRANDING ACROSS MULTIPLE MEDIUMS
The consistent delivery of a brand message is vital to the long term success of any brand, but with so many possible delivery mediums how do companies ensure this is maintained? Print, television, internet, multimedia, cinema, radio, dvd, the potential is endless, without taking into consideration the possibilities of emerging technologies such as pda’s and mobile technology.
Immere are often asked to make recommendations on various delivery mediums and how companies should apply their branding. Although it is fantastic to see companies considering the endless branding opportunities, they are often neglecting the most important aspect that ensures brand success. This is where we encourage our clients to take a large step back and before they focus on the delivery medium, evaluate what are they actually trying to deliver.
Companies are delivering what Immere refer to as a ‘brand Idea’. A brand idea should be a single idea of your company or product, with the aim being to have the company brand idea equal the consumer brand perception. It is vital that companies establish a strong brand idea as it is your lifeline within a competitive marketplace and your point of difference from your competition.
Once a company brand idea is defined, choose a medium, or mediums that allow you to speak directly to your customers. Consider the way in which customers interact with the delivery medium, taking into consideration how this will effect the experience and ultimately, the perception of your brand. For example, consider the difference between branding online or via television, one encourages you to sit forward and interact, the other to recline and relax.
Often through lack of understanding, companies replicate their brand across various mediums with the same visual treatment. Wrongly they assume that if it looks the same, people will receive the same message. Consider this, there are two images of the same car, one is static online and the other is in motion on the cinema screen. They are the same images, but different in delivery, will this communicate the same brand idea?
Consumers have high expectations of how your brand should be delivered, a dynamic television commercial cannot be replicated across to an internet site and convey a consistent brand message, nor should it be expected that a great website will also work as a television commercial. The impact of motion, sound, texture, interactivity and visual style are the foundations of your brand message and act uniquely to each delivery medium. Brand delivery is as much about the texture of the paper you choose, as the colour you print on it. The interpretation of colour has different meaning across various mediums, a flat olive green may look refined and contemporary in print, but online can look flat and lifeless.
In most instances it may be beneficial to have simultaneous delivery of your brand message across multiple mediums, reinforcing the brand idea with larger market exposure. The repetition of your brand idea will re-enforce the company values, ensuring that you are ‘front of mind’ when it comes to making a purchase decision.
The perception of you brand will also be effected directly by the consistency of your branded message. Undefined, inconsistent brand messages only confuse the consumer, making it difficult to build a lasting impression of your company or products. Below are 3 simple Immere rules to ensure brand success:
1. QUALITY
Quality product or services, quality time to develop the brand idea, quality application of the brand message.Invest time in developing a quality brand idea. Make sure you evaluate the message your customers are receiving, the standard of visual application and how your brand will compete in the marketplace. Always insist on quality!
2. APPLICATION
Choose a delivery medium that allows you to speak directly to your customers, innovate in the application of your brand message and consider simultaneous delivery across multiple mediums for greater impact.
3. CONSISTENCY
Vital to the long term success of any brand, think repetition to re-enforce your company brand idea and ensure that all branding is always consistent to the company brand idea.
For further information on branding across multiplemediums, speak to an Immere director.
About the Author
Brent Nolan is the Senior Designer at Immere, an Australian advertising, branding and design company. Immere’s clients include Ansearch, an Australian search engine and directory.