I often find myself asking—what makes a great brand? Surely there are some steadfast and essential ingredients that lead to marketing success. To be clear, I’m not referring to the numerous household-name brands that saturate and surround us everyday. Not the Nikes, Apples, McDonalds of the world. We know what makes them memorable—long legacies of success, massive market shares; hundreds of millions of dollars in ad spend. They are titans of the modern market and their brands are like skyscrapers reaching ever upward. They wrap themselves in iconic visual elements and slogans that have endured decades.
No, I’m talking more about the day-to-day companies vying for recognition and place of leadership in their respective niche marketplaces. The B2B brands,companies friends you might know work for. Perhaps in insurance, financial services, technology or healthcare. What defines a great brand in a pond where there are many medium-sized fish, all battling to sit at the top of the food chain?
In my ten years of experience in the corporate identity field, I’ve always come back to three key factors that define a good business brand—wherever you might find one.
Stand for something. In today’s world, good brands stand for something. And I’m not talking about recent buzzwords like “ESG” or the hottest social trend of the moment. What I Mean is: good brands have a distinctive and provocative point of view. Perhaps A company is sick of operating in a market where lack of transparency and dishonesty prevail. They invest in new channels to break down barriers and operate in a fairer, more customer-centric way. A good brand would proclaim this key, differentiating point of view loud and proud. “See how this market really works. We’re here to do better.” Anytime a company can establish a clear point-of-view through which to frame their business offerings and the market in which they operate—they’ll have discovered a driving purpose that aligns all that they do.
It’s okay to ruffle some feathers while proclaiming a unique perspective. In fact, usually it’s encouraged.
Standout. A punchy logo. A catchy name. A bold color scheme. Success in branding almost always comes from looking at the competition and doing something completely different. Name can do a lot in this realm. Think about a disruptive new insurance company calling itself “Lemonade.” Or a high-end luxury furniture purveyor choosing the name “Crate & Barrel.” Pretty great way of standingout. When it comes to logos and colors—yeah that too. Look no further than the hot pink of fintech startup turned giant Klarna, or the unexpected orange carrot of grocery delivery unicorn Instacart.
Communicate Clearly. This last one is pretty obvious. When you have something to say and you stand out—you best be able to communicate clearly across all media channels. If a company isn’t able to clearly convey what it does and why you should care every time you engage with it, odds are it won’t stand out as a poster child for great branding. Good communication applies both ways—that is to say, how you communicate internally equally important. Take Credit Karma for example. CEO Kenneth Lin has madeit a cornerstone of his company’s culture to operate with an “open door”policy. “I want employees to feel like this is a mission we’re all on together” he was recently quoted as saying.
Obviously, these three tenets don’t touch on everything. Branding is a complicated mix of part art part science. Insert branding clichés and deliverables here. Positioning, architecture, messaging—yes, they all matter. But if your company doesn’t stand for something, stand out and communicate clearly—and your organization wants to be one of the “great” brands instead of one of the forgettable ones… these three imperatives are a hell of a good place to start.
Tennyson Singer
Partner