branding the field

8/10/2019 Branding the Field

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BRANDING THE FIELD

The International Branding Association (IBA) was founded in !!"as the world#s first association for $rofessional %rand de&elo$ers'

I I*N

+Branding the field# con&e,s our si-$le -ission. to unite the brand- passionate globally and give branding the professional distinction it deserves.

*B/E0TI1E

2' 0reate a foru- to unite 3ualified %randing $ractitioners' 0onduct local4glo%al %randing research and share findings

5' Hel$ de&elo$ a co--on definition of the ter- +%randing#

6' Differentiate %randing fro- -ar7eting8 ad&ertising and design

"' Raise awareness with the $u%lic8 %usiness8 go&ern-ents and -edia

9' Encourage $rofessional and ethical %randing $ractices

:' Learn fro- and honor national4international %randing $ioneers

;' Further %randing curriculu-s in educational institutionsIBA <ARTNER



The Six Universal Attributes Of a Great Mark If we weren#t in the roo- when the decisions were -ade8 if we don#t7now what the 0E*#s intentions were8 how can we sa, one logo is=%etter> than another? As in ice s7ating8 technical -erit can %e @udged inde$endentl, ofco--unications content8 and we can all see the s7ater fall' The firstfi&e things that distinguish great -ar7s fro- ordinar, ones aretechnical the last one addresses content' Great -ar7s are alwa,s.

2' Distinctive 'The design idea need not %e uni3ue in the world8 @ust distincti&eenough so ,ou can =own> it in ,our $articular -ar7et$lace'

' Practical '0an %e $rinted s-all8 in in7 or $i els wor7s in %lac7 on white as wellas in colors wor7s in re&erse too8 white on %lac7' (Faces8 hu-an or

ani-al8 usuall, flun7 this last test the e,es turn white')5' Graphic '0o--unicates $urel, in &isual ter-s8 to the right %rain he-is$heredoesn#t de$end on &er%al8 intellectual inter$retation' (E a-$le.Tenneco seriousl, considered and re@ected a =2!E0*> logo design'0le&er8 %ut it#s not a -ar78 it#s a $un') If a word-ar78 it can %erecogniCed %, for- alone (,ou don#t ha&e to =read> 0oca 0ola#s logo-ore than once or twice)'

6' Simple in form '0ontains onl, one gra$hic idea8 one gi--ic78 one ding%at' Thus ifthere#s a s,-%ol8 the acco-$an,ing na-e is $lain and unadorned' And if it is a word-ar78 one idea or de&ice -a7es it s$ecial li7eIB #s stri$es' (The -ore uni3ue the na-e8 the si-$ler the gra$hicscan %e')

"' One message 'In content too8 great designs tr, to e $ress no -ore than oneattri%ute (such as stature or s$eed or d,na-is-) and su$$ort a singleas$ect of $ositioning'

9' Appropriate '

In the end8 of course8 the content#s got to %e right' An otherwise great-ar7 fails if the re$utation8 $ositioning8 and $ersonalit, e $ressedare at odds with -anage-ent intentions'



Are We unning Out Of !ames " 1isteon? ira&ant? Diageo? In the na-ing %usiness8 are we %eginning to scra$e the %otto- of the %arrel?In a word8 ,es' There is a nu-eric li-it to the uni&erse of na-es8 theco-%inations of letters of fi&e s,lla%les or less that are$ronouncea%le8 a&oid offense in $rinci$al languages8 and are notso-eone else#s $ro$ert,' A $o$ulation e $losion of %usiness entities8on to$ of $roduct $roliferation8 -eans we are ra$idl, de$leting thesu$$l,' And as -ore co-$anies thin7 =glo%al8> -ore see7 glo%alna-e $rotection8 &astl, increasing the $ool of $ossi%le conflicts'

In es$eciall, crowded categories li7e financial ser&ices andco-$uters8 ,ou can $rett, well assu-e that an, letter co-%ination %oth a$$ealing and -eaningful is alread, ta7en' 0olleagues in the

na-ing %usiness confir- -, own e $erience our =short lists> ofcandidates that go into the to$ of the legal search ho$$er are gettinglonger' here we used to screen 2! na-es to get a final choice of twoor three =$ro%a%l, a&aila%le8> toda, we -ust screen 6!' In turn8 the-aster lists that -ust %e generated to $ic7 those 6! often e $and intothe thousands' (The list fro- which A-erican E $ress drew =*$ti-a>e ceeded 8"!! candidate na-es') At the sa-e ti-e we are de$leting the su$$l,8 we ha&e raised thea&aila%ilit, hurdle' In /anuar, 2 98 0ongress (in its wisdo-) furthershran7 the $ool of a&aila%le na-es &ia HR2 "8 adding an =antidilution> $ro&ision to the Lanha- Act8 section 65(c) (2)' <re&iousl,8 ,our rights to a na-e were li-ited to ,our $roduct and relatedcategories the test was si-$l, whether real custo-ers -ightreasona%l, %e confused %, so-eone else#s use of the sa-e na-e' ThusLe us (or e&en Le is) &ehicles and Le is infor-ation ser&ices couldco-forta%l, coe ist' HR2 " said8 =Not so fast whether or notconsu-ers are li7el, to %e confused8 if ,our na-e is sufficientl,fa-ous8 ,ou -a, deser&e $rotection in all categories'> Thisi--ediatel, added %oundless -ono$ol, $ower and greater wealth to

owners of fa-ous %rands8 -a7ing it -uch easier8 for e a-$le8 tolicense their %rands across $roduct categories the, ne&er %eforedrea-ed of directl, entering' And HR2 " also increased costs8 ris7s8and uncertainties in na-ing'The Internet adds ,et another hurdle' 0o-$anies (reasona%l,) wantco-$an, na-es that can %e do-ain na-es too8 without alteration'But an,one in the world -a, innocentl, ha&e registered a gi&en



co-%ination of letters8 so-eti-es with wholl, unrelated -eanings8 asa do-ain na-e ' ' ' and $ro%a%l, has'Two $redictions' First8 e $ect -ore =co-%ination> na-es8 theune $ected s$licing of two ordinar, words a techni3ue thatgeo-etricall, e $ands the $ool of real sounding8 -eaningful$ossi%ilities' I ha&e found co-$an, na-es li7e Flowser&e (and last ,ear#s Footstar) easier to clear and $rotect8 as well a gi&enco-%ination either has %een used or it hasn#t8 with little roo- fora-%iguit,'

econd8 e $ect -ore strange new na-es li7e Diageo8 distincti&e ,etfunctional8 that ta7e so-e getting used to' e reall, are scra$ing thelinguistic %arrel and ha&e to reach further %e,ond our co-fort Conesto -a7e na-es that wor7'



S#mbol " Or Wor$mark "*f the 2" -ar7s in -, 2 9 article8 nine are essentiall,=word-ar7s8> while si feature gra$hic s,-%ols (Lucent8 N0R8I-ation8 <har-acia J$@ohn8 cGraw Hill8 and LG I count Nortelas a word-ar78 %ut its =*> can also function as a freestandings,-%ol)' hich logo strateg, is %est? hen should a 0E* choose a word-ar78 when a s,-%ol?

%n general& consi$er a s#mbol onl# 'hen(K our na-e is too generic8 too long8 doesn#t translate well glo%all,8 oris ho$elessl, deficient in $ersonalit,'K ou need an e-%le- on the $roduct8 as on a car hood or a snea7er'

K ou need to lin7 su%sidiaries to the $arent and can#t easil, use thena-e' (The Bell s,-%ol ser&ed this function for the old AT T and itso$erating co-$anies')K ou ha&e (or can afford) a-$le -edia8 to teach us what the s,-%ol-eans'

)hoose a 'or$mark 'hen(K our na-e is reasona%l, distincti&e %ut not (,et) a household word'K ou want to associate $roducts or su%sidiaries with the $arent -oreclearl, and directl, than a s,-%ol $er-its'K 0o--unication funds are li-ited and should %e focused on na-erecognition'

A case in $oint. In 2 "8 No&ell wanted to %e a -ore $owerfulu-%rella %rand o&er its &arious software na-es' 0onsultantsFran7furt Bal7ind designed a stri7ing new N s,-%ol8 a$$ro$riatel,e $ressi&e of a focal =enter$rise networ7ing> conce$t8 acco-$anied %, an elegant low 7e, word-ar7'In 2 98 the =dots> were %anished fro- -ar7eting co--unications8

to %etter focus on the %randing essential the No&ell na-e' Rationale.= e don#t ha&e ti-e for trin7ets that ser&e no functional need'>Botto- line. ord-ar7 or s,-%ol8 -a7e sure ,our identit,consultant $ro&ides a strategic a$$lication %ased rationale not @ust a$rett, face'



Pro$uct marks& service marks( 'hich are more *sacre$*"Reagan 0oo7 writes. Ton,. I#&e %een reading ,our re&iews of logostr,ing to understand so-e of the %asics %ehind this art and I 7ee$co-ing %ac7 to a central 3uestion' Is the i-$ortance of a logo8 or thesanctit, of the logo8 -ore critical to $roduct %ased %usinesses thanser&ice %ased %usinesses? I as7 this %ecause so -an, case studies ore a-$les see- to co-e fro- $roduct co-$anies'First8 Reagan8 letMs %e %e clear that weMre tal7ing a%out categor, %rands ($roduct or ser&ice logos)8 not institutional %rands (cor$oratelogos)'In $roduct categories8 the i-age of the $roduct itself ''' or a $roductdesign attri%ute li7e 0ater$illar ,ellow ''' can %e -ore i-$ortantidentit, factors than the logo' But in ser&ice categories ''' finance8health8 %roadcasting8 whate&er ''' often the onl, thing ,ou can actuall,

see is the logo in ,our -ental $icture of the %rand8 the logo tends tota7e on -ore i-$ortance' Thin7 errill L,nch without a %ull' o ingeneral IMd sa, logos are -ore i-$ortant in ser&ice categories8 where ,ou donMt ha&e $roduct design to hel$ in &isual differentiation' (Thee ce$tion is retailing8 where ,ou do ha&e architecture to wor7 withthin7 tar%uc7s')0or$orate %rands8 of course8 are different' Jnile&er is a $roductsco-$an, %ut the Jnile&er logo re$resents the cor$orate -anage-entfunction8 and is essentiall, a ser&ice %rand' In fact8 where a cor$orate %rand is also one of the cor$orationMs $roduct categor, %rands8 itMsoften a good idea to use &isi%l, different $roduct and cor$orate logos(for e a-$le8 Ford 4 Ford otor 0o-$an,)'



Sourcing %$entit# Work Will the real branding specialist please stand up? To who- should a 0E* (or 0 * or 00*) turn8 for cor$orate identit,ad&ice and assistance? Toda, it is easier than e&er to %e led astra,'=Branding> is argua%l, this generation#s hottest %uCCword8 and to ridethe trend -an, design fir-s8 consultants8 and ad&ertising agenciesselling 3uite different 7inds of ser&ices ha&e all re$ositionedthe-sel&es as =%randing s$ecialists'> But for cor$orate %randingassign-ents8 who is actuall, 3ualified?

ost cor$orate identit, wor7 toda, is done %, one of three t,$es offir- gra$hic design8 identit, s$ecialist8 or ad&ertising4-ar7etingagenc,' Infor-ed (%iased?) %, 2" ,earsM e $erience as an inde$endentidentit, consultant who tea-s with gra$hic design fir-s8 with 2! ,ears $rior e $erience in identit, fir-s and another 2! ,ears in

ad&ertising agencies8I offer these guidelines'Graphic+$esign firms can do outstanding identit, wor7' The late8great <aul Rand8 who counseled IB and estinghouse8 wor7edalone8 $refera%l, one on one with a 0E* client' Gra$hic designers are %est used when the $ositioning issues are relati&el, si-$le with nosu%cor$orate %randing and association issues8 no otherconstituencies who want to %e consulted8 and a 0E* who is alread,engaged and %rings the designer clear and actiona%le strategicdirection' At the &er, least8 ,ou can %e sure that a well trained gra$hicdesigner understands the directness and si-$licit, of a functionall,effecti&e logo' For a starting list of 3ualified design fir-s8see Affiliations and Lin7s $ages'*n -ore co-$le assign-ents8 gra$hic designers are li7el, to tea- with a consultant8 and to outsource na-ing'

%$entit# specialist firms li7e iegel Gale8 Landor8 Addison8FutureBrand8 and Inter%rand are a good choice when the 0E* -a,not ,et %e full, engaged8 the desired $ositioning is not ,et clear (or

clearl, su$$orted with a -anage-ent consensus)8 and there areco-$le organiCational and relationshi$ issues and su%sidiar, %rande3uities and as a result8 a need for a co-$rehensi&e situationanal,sis8 consensus %uilding8 and $lanning $hase' (In candor a %ig %udget hel$s8 too') A$vertising agencies can do good branding wor7 $lanning8$ositioning8 and $ro-oting category %rands8 that is %ut ha&e rarel,

http://www.identityworks.com/spaeth/spaeth4.htm

http://www.identityworks.com/tools/links.htm


http://www.identityworks.com/spaeth/spaeth4.htm




done good cor$orate identit, wor7 and as a rule8 in -, o$inion8should not %e e $ected or as7ed to do so' [There are, of course,exceptions. See, for example, the 2 ! "#$ %or& by the $renchagency 'lan cr(atif.)

, heartfelt anal,sis.• Ad agencies are a%out mar&eting and are totall, indeed8

$assionatel, focused on i--ediate ca-$aigns' The, should %e' Butidentities are -ore %asic and -ust outlast ca-$aigns8 and are -oreconcerned with leadershi$ issues li7e destination setting ande-$lo,ee -oti&ation' These are management issues co-$ared to which toda,#s mar&eting issues are generall, of secondar,i-$ortance' A good agenc, howe&er8 @ust doing its @o%8 will alwa,sconfuse identit, with ca-$aign and8 therefore8 $ut cor$orate-ar7eting ahead of cor$orate essence'

• Agencies seldo- ha&e 3ualified identit, anal,sts anddesigners on staff' E&en the largest agenc, can#t generate enoughcor$orate identit, $rogra-s8 fro- its e isting client roster8 to su$$ortthe-' And a great agenc, art director -a, or -a, not %e a goodgra$hic designer the, are 3uite different @o%s'

• There is a good deal of technical 7nowledge in&ol&ed instructuring cor$orate %rand architecture o$tions8 in %uilding &isuals,ste-s %e,ond the logo design8 and in a$$l,ing identities in -edia %e,ond $rint and %roadcast agencies -ust rein&ent these wheels and

are $rone to -iss the-'• For agencies8 a long ter- relationshi$ is the ideal' Designand identit, fir-s8 too8 a$$reciate lasting relationshi$s8 %ut identit, wor78 I suggest8 is %est &iewed as e$isodic8 and %est done %, ser&icefir-s that consider the-sel&es e $enda%le' To %est ser&e their clients8the, -ust constantl, $rod8 educate8 and challenge8 at continuing ris7to the client relationshi$' For this reason alone8 thoughtful adagencies ha&e seldo- sought to %uild an internal identit, $ractice'

issing fro- this list are the management+consulting fir-s8 who- one would nor-all, e $ect to co-$ete for the cor$orateleadershi$ and $ositioning counsel that identit, wor7 re3uires' It#strue that the long esta%lished identit, fir- Li$$incott argulies isnow a -e-%er of ercer 0onsulting Grou$ (a arsh cLennanco-$an,)' L has wor7ed hard to cross $ollinate the -anage-entconsulting and identit, consulting cultures8 e&en changing its na-eearl, in !!5 to Li$$incott ercer' To -, regret8 other consultingleaders ha&e traditionall, treated identit, wor7 as so-ehow %eneath

http://www.identityworks.com/reviews/2005/edf.htm

http://www.identityworks.com/reviews/2005/edf.htm



the-8 and there are as ,et no signals that fir-s li7e cOinse, 0o'are e $loring cor$orate identit, $ractices' Also largel, -issing8 $erha$s curiousl,8 are public relations fir-s8 who seldo- see- to thin7 a%out identit, issues and fran7l,8 I a- notsure wh,' <erha$s <R $rofessionals are so good with words there islittle roo- left for &isual s7ills (a theor, su$$orted8 in -, owne $erience8 %, the a%,s-al design of their own -ar7etingco--unications and trade @ournals') The, are also8 of course8legiti-atel, $reoccu$ied with such -atters as in&estor relations and(it see-s) e ecuti&e %randing'Botto- line? Go with a full ser&ice cor$orate identit, s$ecialist fir-or for s-aller %udgets and -ore $ersonal control a co-%inationof identit, consultant and gra$hic design fir-' *y Tony Spaeth, $ebruary 2 + rev. ctober, 2 !,

originally appeared in cross The *oard

Other commentsa,%e Iceland differs fro- the rest of the world in its s-allness

writes scar * arnason ' But there are hardl, an, gra$hic designfir-s here so a%out e&er, -a@or %randing is -ade %, ad&ertisingagencies8 who co-$ete to hire the %est designers' I donMt thin7 the3ualit, of the wor7 is an, less than what ,ouMd e $ect fro- the %iggestco-$anies out there' Agreed8 *scar the wor7 is good' $ecialiCation does relate to siCe and &olu-e8 and Iceland @ust -ight %e an e ce$tion that $ro&es (andchallenges) the rule'



What $oes it cost"This is the -other of all FAPMs' But itMs a fair 3uestion8 and itdeser&es an answer' As $hrased %, Mike Walsh 8 Assistant <rofessor of ar7eting8 est 1irginia Jni&ersit,.

Logo change is not a tri&ial underta7ing' How -uch do co-$aniest,$icall, s$end when designing a logo? In -, $ast life8 IM&e wor7ingin the ad&ertising industr, and I 7now there is no eas, answer' Infact8 IM&e loo7ed at &arious trade $u%lications ho$ing forso-e 3uote4reference on this to$ic' No luc7 so far'Right8 i7e itMs not eas, to answer and ,ou wonMt find -uch goodre$orting on it' (The $ress8 in fact8 is drawn to stories of tens8 indeedhundreds of -illions in costs of i-age change8 %ased howe&er onretail for-at changes or on ad&ertising -edia e $enses incidental to

re%randing8 where re%randing $lanning and design costs the-sel&es were co-$arati&el, s-all' )I shared ,!ur 3uestion o&er lunch with friends close to the current( !!;) -ar7et$lace8 designers Ou,$er8 olf8 &an den Bergh andToth8 3ualif,ing the 3uestion to a$$l, onl, to institutional %rands andto e clude categor, %rands''' I neither 7now nor care what anad&ertising agenc, (sa,) does in the wa, of categor, %rand twea7ing8 where costs can %e as insignificant as changing the ad signaturegra$hics file and the issues are -erel, -ar7eting issues' 0or$orate %rands are -uch different in $lanning and design $rocesses (and-uch -ore interesting to -e)'*ne of us @u-$ed in and said =:" to !! thousand QJ S for anal,sisand $lanning8 "" to :" for logo design8 "! to 2"! for t,$ical cor$oratea$$lications docu-entation8 then8 on a $er $age %asis -a,%etwent, $ages at 28"!! $er $age'>E&er,one else then said =No8 it#s not that si-$le' There are too -an,+it de$ends#'>0orrect' It de$ends8 for e a-$le8 on. Are ,ou starting with 0E* engage-ent8 or do ,ou ha&e to %uild u$ to

that o&er ti-e? This can add -onths8 so-eti-es ,ears'How -an, audiences need to %e engaged in the $rocess? <lanningcosts are $rett, -uch a direct function of the nu-%er of indi&idualinter&iews re3uired (or $rudent) with 7e, $la,ers'

Is a -onolithic strateg, called for8 or do su% %rands ha&e to %e



re%alanced4re%randed too?

And a%o&e all8 how -uch 3ualit, is re3uired (in sourcing of %othstrategic and design counsel)? o-e fir-s routinel, co--and +don#tas7# fees8 higher %, orders of -agnitude''' for the co-fort le&el thatco-es with $ercei&ed %ench de$th and rele&ant e $erience'But for %all$ar7 $ur$oses8 in merica in 2 / the a%o&e rangeof ,-./&/// to ,011&/// sounds a%out right8 for $lanning anddesigning a -oderatel, co-$le institutional re%randing8 %, 3ualifieds$ecialists'This8 of course8 @ust co&ers $rofessional ser&ice fees and e $enses' ou still ha&e i-$le-entation costs8 nota%l,.

Launch e&ent staging8 e-$lo,ee co--unications8 %rand launchad&ertising

New stationer, (%est done 3uic7l,) Facilities signs re$lace-ent taff realign-ent and retraining'

These costs and others8 &ar,ing %, industr,8 can %e significant oneti-e costs' But the, can also %e understood as one ti-e o$$ortunitiesto le&erage the e&ent of a re%randing for its uni3ue a%ilit, toco--and attention8 ele&ate $ercei&ed 3ualit, and renew confidence'

Other comments 'elcome& from client an$ consultant alike

0ore from 1erry uyper3 I wouldnMt want to suggest that a $ros$ectneeds to decide whether the, want a 3ualit, tea-4result or a lower3ualit, tea-4result' No client wants so-eone learning on their @o% %ut -an, are interested in getting seasoned thin7ing and to$ creati&e wor7 at fees the, dee- -ore afforda%le'

IM- also not sure a%out ,our fees ranges a%o&e the, see- to %ebet%een what inde$endent consultants and -a@or fir-s -ight

charge' For s-all fir-s8 or an inde$endent tea-s of to$ s$ecialists8 I would thin7 these ranges -ight %e -ore accurate. trateg,8 6! 2 !O Logo8 5! 9!O Design ,ste-8 ! a$$lications 2'" to O $er a$$lication8 5! 6!O tandards8 ! $ages8 2'" to O $er $age8 5! 6!O Total range. ,.2/&/// to ,-3/&/// (with e $enses e tra)'



The largest &aria%les not necessaril, included arena-ing4no-enclature needs8 %rand architecture needs4nu-%er ofentities within co-$an,4organiCation8 and new research needs an,of which could add considera%le cost' *ther &aria%les (as ,ou ha&esuggested) include nu-%er of inter&iews8 $resentations8 refine-entsre3uired'

Incidentall,8 for ,ears I ha&e %een hel$ing -, clients understand that while de-onstrating a logo as a$$lied to a Qh,$otheticalS sign orho-e$age -a, %e useful in e&aluating the loo7 and feel of a logo8 thisis not the sa-e as the QactualS design of a signage s,ste- or we%site' uyper

branding the field

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