Many brands we’re familiar with today have been around a long time. Others, not so much. And every day, new brands emerge in any number of sectors.
Consider the marketing and advertising trends and methods of the time when companies like Levi Strauss or Coca-Cola were started. Then compare that to the marketing ecosystem of today. These companies didn’t last this long by sticking with their original logo, either.
Aside from the market influences that can make or break a business, how does a brand like Coca-Cola remain strong decades later while a brand like Circuit City is pushing daisies?
Maybe They’re Born With It. Maybe it’s Good Branding.
o build a brand that doesn’t fizzle out like the Lacroix we left out last night, it’s important to stay away from whatever the trendy look of the day is. If you really want your brand identity to stand on its own and apart from the competition, you can’t do the same stuff everyone else does. Otherwise, you’re going to blend into the crowd, and we don’t want that!
When Coca-Cola first launched, their primary product was the namesake of the company. That’s what you might call putting all your eggs in one basket. Coca-Cola wasn’t alone in the field, either. Not by a long shot – Pepsi-Cola was right there competing for market share and tastebuds just like Coca-Cola.
Today, both soda magnates are still going head to head, but they’ve both had to undergo rebrands and identity updates over the years.
5 Brand Identity Tips to Ensure a Long Shelf Life.
- Don’t follow the pack – get out front and lead. Allow your brand to take responsible risks, because when done right, they can fuel brand growth.
- Perform regular audits of your brand identity, visual assets, communications assets, digital properties to keep tabs on what’s working and what isn’t. Slight tweaks to a brand identity over time can carry a lot of weight.
- Invest in your brand – it will pay dividends down the road. Allow your brand to grow and mature – it doesn’t happen overnight, even with a fancy font!
- Brand messaging is more about your audience than it is about you, so take your ego and put it on a one way flight to the moon.
As you already know, not all brands last forever, and others have seemed to be made of rubber. If you’re really into brand identities and consumer brands, read about famous consumer brands that have been put to pasture or these five brands that had a near-death experience and lived to tell about it.
