When you hear the words “brand” or “branding” what do you think of? Most would relate it to a company’s logo, their colors, or their packaging design. While a logo and solid packaging design certainly aid in establishing a connection with your market, your brand goes far beyond that.
I know I used Publix as an example in my last blog post, but they highlight this well:
Shopping at Publix is an experience. Publix isn’t trying to be the cheapest place to purchase groceries. They seem to have an honest desire for quality (both in food and service) that’s reflected in the packaging of their own store brand products.
Sure, I could buy a dozen eggs for less elsewhere, but at what other grocery store do they open the carton at check-out and send an employee to fetch a replacement when they discover a cracked egg I had forgotten to check for?
When does a shelf stocker stop from his current task to ask if I need assistance when he notices I’m inquisitively scanning aisles for an item I can’t find?
When a company realizes that a great experience equals a great brand.
So Publix holds their customer service as a vital piece of their brand. Does that mean good customer service is their brand. No. Ultimately the Publix brand is what I and many others think it is. You can have a great logo, a great mission statement, and a great product, but that alone will never give you a great brand. Your brand is what others think it is! Publix has developed expectations in their customer’s hearts before they even get to the grocery store. I know I’m going to get good service when purchasing any food, interacting with any cashier, shopping on any day. That translates into a positive brand experience. Their design merely supports and affirms that.
In “Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company”, Robert Brunner and Stewart Emery put it like this:
“Character is built on ethics, on behavior, how people treat others, and how they treat you, and that’s how you build an idea of who they are. It’s the same thing with a brand.”
We arrive at a conclusion of a company’s character (or brand) just like we would with an actual person. Sure, I know Publix has set out to maintain a certain quality of service, but I actually see it when I’m there, I feel it where I’m there. Not in their packaging design (though I think it’s great), but in the experience I enjoy when shopping. Anyone can say they value service, but it’s another thing to back it up, and Publix does it well.
I think this is why sites like Craigslist succeed. Their site design isn’t anything spectacular (though I’ve helped fix that using this), but I have good expectations when using it, knowing that I’ll probably find what I’m looking for at a great price and that if I need to list something it’s really easy to do while reaching a wide audience.
Think about quality brands you frequently invest in and why you do. Though their logo may be the first thing that comes to mind, your experience with them is what really drives your loyalty. Now turn the tables on yourself. Are you providing quality experiences for your customers? What do they say your brand is?
I totally agree with you David. Branding is much more than a company logo or product packaging. In today’s economy a company’s brand is virtually synonymous with the company itself. Another great example of brand image is Apple computer. Apple’s brand is much more than its famous apple logo. Apple’s brand comprises both its logo and its entire business as a whole. When I think of Apple and its brand, I think of great products, marketing and customer service. I don’t just think of its logo. That is what ever company should strive for. For its brand to spur positive feelings with its customer base.