VISUALS ATTRACT. VERBALS ENGAGE.
Often when we think of brands, we immediately think about the visuals like the logo and the avatar. These are important elements as they serve to attract the viewer. But the attraction is fleeting, and without the messaging to engage the viewer, a brand may lose.
A recent billboard caught our attention, but not for the reason one might think. “Your health is our priority.” On the surface, it seems like an appropriate message, but down deep, it really says nothing at all. Every healthcare facility in the world would make that claim, and to us, it seems like a given. An online search revealed a lot of billboards that use the same headline. In fact, we found an example from a healthcare-specific marketing company that offers a template with that very headline where all you have to do is drop in your logo and contact info. Marketing and advertising are too expansive to waste on generic messaging.
When we see messages that are so generic, we believe that’s evidence that there’s a lack of a real brand story. The brand doesn’t have a story that is specific and meaningful, so they default to things that sound nice but don’t really mean anything, let alone set them apart in the marketplace or prompt someone to take action.
In this first blog of a three-part series on the importance of messaging, we will take a look at the necessity of discovering your brand’s story to help transform your messaging from mundane to memorable.
When a brand has a story, the messaging creates a more meaningful connection with customers and differentiates the company from competitors. A compelling brand story humanizes the company, making it more relatable and memorable, and it serves as a foundation for all marketing efforts.
It’s important to remember that your brand story is not your history. We often see companies believe they have a brand story when in fact they have a brand history, which can be compelling, but often not a differentiator.
So, how does a company develop its brand story? At BIG, it begins with research. As one of our favorite authors, Marty Neumeier, states, “A brand is not created, it’s discovered.”
We conduct qualitative interviews with employees, customers, dealers and reps to discover what’s true, unique and relevant about a brand. We may discover that excellent service is a brand attribute of an organization. That would be both true and relevant. However, it’s not unique. Everyone seems to claim they offer great service. The same could be said for “good quality.” True and relevant, but not unique.
Other attributes such as “innovation,” “original,” “trusted guides,” etc., can elevate the brand story because these attributes are often unique in an industry.
Most brand discoveries result in three to five brand attributes which become the basis for the brand story. There are times when the attributes are all true and relevant, but not unique. The challenge for us then becomes to position those non-unique attributes in a way that sets the brand apart in that particular market. Click on the case study below to see how BIG solved this very issue by creating a unique brand story for a bank that did not have unique brand attributes.
To avoid generic messaging like, “Your health is our priority,” you must discover your brand attributes. These are the foundation of a compelling brand story that will elevate your brand and set it apart in the markets you serve.
In part two of our quest to help brands change their messaging from mundane to memorable, we will explore the value of a tagline in your branding and marketing efforts.