What's up brand builders Stephen Houraghan here at BrandMasterAcademy.com and in this video you're
going to learn 26 branding elements that you should consider in your strategy development
so you can understand the components of a cohesive branding machine
that all work together to influence the reputation of your brand
now if you're new to the channel and you want to build brands that go beyond the visuals
using strategy psychology and creative thinking then you're in the right place
hit that subscribe button and the notification bell if you want to fast track your results
make sure you grab the pro brand strategy blueprint it's a free download and the link
is in the description now most business owners will tell you that they understand what branding
is all about and they might cite a handful of branding elements starting with the logo and
maybe a few other visual elements but in reality a cohesive and functioning brand are made up of many
many different elements and it's only when you understand what these elements are and how they
can influence the perceptions of your audience do you have any chance of building a successful brand
so what are branding elements all about well brands are designed to grow they're developed to
grow that is their function that is the reason that they're developed in the first place now
we all understand that a logo is the visual representation of the brand and the function
that the logo plays within the growth of the brand is to help the brand grow its visual recognition
that's how it contributes to the growth of the brand but there are many other areas of the brand
that helps the brand to grow overall you have the brand experience the reputation the communication
the personality and the position as well and within each of these categories you have a
number of different elements that all contribute to the growth of the brand so let's have a look
at all of these categories and all of these 26 elements that contribute to growing a strategic
brand first up are your brand substance elements now your brand substance is the essence behind
your brand and it provides the brand leadership team with an internal compass for making decisions
now though many businesses do create these elements and use them as marketing or website copy
their function is actually to provide guidance and direction for internal decision making
so first up we have brand purpose number one brand purpose so the brand purpose is the reason
that the brand exists beyond the business function now which of course is generating revenue that's
the business function and ultimately a profit that's what the business wants to do but defining
the purpose of the brand provides meaning to the work of the business and the broader contribution
that the brand makes to its audience and the wider world number two is brand vision now the
brand vision is the image of the future brand and what the brand will look like in the coming years
what impact it will have on its audience and its industry as well the vision is the north star of
the brand and it provides clear direction as to where the brand is going and what it intends to
become number three is brand mission now the brand mission is the commitment that the brand makes
to achieve its vision for the future now every brand is built on a reputation and
the reputation it builds becomes what the brand is known for the brand mission provides that internal
clarity to the commitment it has made to build the reputation it aims to develop number four are the
brand values now although brand values are often misused as this noble piece of website copy or
marketing designed to impress the audience that's not what their function is just as people have
internal values they're developed to act as a guiding compass for the decisions and the actions
based on what we hold dear and for a brand that is the way they do business brand values therefore
guides the way the brand behaves in the market the next category are the brand positioning elements
now these positioning elements provide the key components that form the position of the brand
the position represents the core reason that the audience would choose one brand over another now
this differentiating reason is formulated from an understanding of who the audience
is what options they already have in the market through their competitors and how the brand aims
to provide something different through an outcome or experience number five is the audience persona
now the brand exists to serve the needs of a given audience that's why it exists without
that audience there is no need for the brand to be there in the first place so everything the brand
does has an end goal of appealing to that audience to ultimately influence their buying decisions now
the more that's understood about the brand's audience the better the brand is positioned
to appeal to who they are and to what they want number six is competitor research second
to understanding the audience is understanding the options that the audience already has in the
market and that is through their competitors now every market is made up of a set of competitors
all vying for the attention and ultimately the money of a certain market segment understanding
who these competitors are what they offer and how they target their consumer and how their consumer
perceives them is really critical to defining an effective position up next is number seven the
differentiation strategy now only with an intimate understanding of who the audience is and the
competitive landscape can you effectively define a difference that your brand offers and ultimately a
position that it wants to own in the mind of the audience now this difference represents
the core reason that you give your audience for choosing your brand over your competitors so it is
pretty important and number eight the positioning statement so with clarity on the market landscape
from the audience to its competitors and the defining difference the brand can develop an
effective positioning statement now much like the internal statements of the brand substance this
statement is not designed as a piece of marketing again it's a clarity statement to provide
direction for the rest of the brand development from personality to messaging and beyond
next up we have the brand persona elements now today we live in a world of the human brand the
brands that we do business with are the ones that have learned how to appeal to who we are as people
and align themselves with the characteristics that were drawn to the brand persona is a set
of components that represent how the brand will resonate with its intended customers
from the way it speaks to the personality traits it leverages and that starts with number nine
brand archetypes now archetypes were introduced by psychiatrist carl jung in the early 20th century
as a model for categorizing all personalities into 12 core categories archetypes were then later on
adopted into the realm of branding and marketing as a means to connect with audiences on a human
level through the traits that they're attracted to and that provides the groundwork for number
10 brand personality now although archetypes do provide a solid direction for the brand
personality development the archetype framework is simply a framework and it doesn't provide a
fully functioning personality for a brand these personalities are developed out to bring the brand
to life through a set of opinions ideals and an outlook on life so it starts to feel like a real
person number 11 brand language now the language a brand uses plays a significant role in appealing
to the right audience a formal language profile aimed at the wrong audience can make a brand kind
of feel disconnected on the opposite side of that coin an informal language profile aimed
at the wrong audience can make a brand kind of seem unprofessional so finding that right balance
is really key for connecting with the audience through language and the last element in this
category is number 12 tone of voice now the tone of voice a brand uses can help to strike the right
chord with the intended audience leveraging the direction from archetypes and personality
development the tone of voice should provide the brand with a tool of influence for brand
expression from messaging to visual identity and everywhere in between next we move on to the brand
communication elements now the brand position and the brand persona provide the brand with something
to talk about and a way to deliver it but knowing what to say is developed in the communication
strategy and that starts with a brand name now the brand name is one of the most influential elements
of the entire brand it acts as the front line of the brand and the first opportunity to place
a seed in the mind of the audience as to why it should be remembered the primary role of the name
is to be remembered so only when it's memorable kind of perform its secondary role which is to
align the brand with the position that it tends to own and number 14 the tagline now
the tagline can become one of the most memorable elements of the entire brand if you think about
nike that tagline just do it just stays in the mind it's as memorable as the nike logo itself
now much like the brand name the tagline is simply a set of words that the brand aims to embed in the
mind of the audience in order to create that memory link back to the brand its experience
and its difference an effective tagline can go a long way to solidifying a brand's position
in the market number 15 are the key messages of a brand now much is said and written about the term
core message which supposedly represents the message that the brand aims to communicate to
the audience now while a core message can distill what the brand aims to communicate it's not a very
effective tool of communication you can't simply repeat the same message over and over again across
all channels instead effective brands require a set of key messages designed to influence how
the brand is perceived and these key messages act as a framework and a guiding tool for all brand
communication across all channels and last up in the communication category is the storytelling
framework now every brand has an origin story that is the story of how the founders built the
business and how the brand came to life but this is not always the story that should be told in
the lives of your audience they are the hero and the only story that really resonates with who they
are is a story about the journey that they're on the challenges that they encounter and the goals
that they will resonate with so a brand story therefore is a story from the brand not about
the brand the next category are the brand identity elements now the brand identity elements represent
the most widely recognized elements of branding now misrepresentation aside the visual identity
remains an integral part and an integral component of a brand and how it influences the perceptions
of the audience now we are visual creatures and the visual identity can help to align the brand
with an idea a mood a look and even a feel and of course first up on this category is number
17 the logo now the logo is without doubt the most recognized and broadly understood branding element
in fact it has become synonymous with the term brand that many people use the term
brand and the term logo interchangeably which obviously causes a bit of confusion now much like
the brand name and the tagline the logo represents a significant opportunity to plant a seed in the
mind of the audience and sear the brand image into their memory now number 18 typography also plays
a very important role here typography represents a major influence in the overall brand identity and
the image that it creates every typeface holds its own distinct characteristics which can be used to
corner a specific image of how the brand intends to be known the right or wrong choice of type
here can make or break a brand identity system number 19 is the color palette now as people
we have a primitive relationship with color and that can actually influence how we feel
it's important that strategists and designers understand this relationship and the impact
that i can have on those perceptions and align the color palette of the brand with the emotions
that it wants to evoke color is one of the most effective and influential tools of the entire
brand element arsenal number 20 is image style now image style can be designed to become one of the
most recognized elements of the entire brand identity system images do have the ability to
capture a mood or a tone or a style or an emotion or even an idea or a belief designing an effective
image style that aligns with the strategy of the brand and the personality that it wants to display
is entirely down to the characteristics and the traits that flow from the strategy only when an
image style communicates the strategy's traits is the element performing its function element number
21 is iconography now iconography can enhance the overall brand experience to create cohesion from
one brand presence to another the main function of iconography is really to demonstrate this
cohesiveness and visual brand experience whether it's through the brand's website its packaging or
its physical store when you see the same elements come up time and again that cohesiveness and that
consistency really drives home that feeling that the brand is doing what it says it's going to do
and it is consistent number 22 are graphics and illustration now much like the image
style graphics and illustration do represent an opportunity to provide a distinctive and memorable
cue that the audience can recall the more distinct and unique the graphics are the easier it is
for the audience to store this experience to memory but as with all elements it can only be
as unique as the strategy allows and the final category of branding elements is brand presence
now the brand presence is how the brand comes together in the digital and physical world
whether through an engaging podcast an informative blog an in-store experience or a tangible booklet
every brand presence element is a fusion of strategy and expression and first up
in this category is number 23 the website now the website represents a digital home of the brand and
it has become an absolute essential for digital or physical businesses the design of the website
from the visual interface to the functioning user experience is often the front lines of the brand
and where the audience gets the first opportunity to understand how the brand fits into their lives
an effective website should provide enough information for the audience to understand
and enough incentive for the user to take action number 24 are your social channels now this is a
social world and social channels have become a tool for modern brand expression branded social
channels shouldn't just look and feel like the brand they should also sound like the brand as
well without a doubt branded social channels are one of the most effective ways for brands
to demonstrate their personality to raise brand awareness and to distribute content as well number
25 is content and advertisements now knowing who the audience is provides a brand with insights
to make strategic marketing decisions for the placement of messages in the market now whether
through branded content helping the audience to understand to choose or to overcome a challenge or
placing an advertisement to invite them to take some kind of action these strategic messages are
what will help to make connections and to raise awareness for the brand and number 26 we have
the physical store now though many modern businesses live online today physical stores
represent a unique tangible experience that's kind of being lost and it can be used as an edge in the
marketplace certainly if there's thought put into the experience from start to finish brands that
have the advantage of physical traffic and the expense of a physical store had better be making
the most of their tangible environment by creating an experience that's aligned with the intended
position of the brand now i've said it before and i'll say it again successful brands don't
just happen they don't just happen by chance or look successful brands happen because there are a
number of elements working together as a cohesive system all attempting to influence the mind of
the audience all of which come together to provide that brand experience only when you have elements
such as these working together and pulling in the same direction do you have any chance at
turning your brand into a success and getting that traction that the brand is developed for now once
you have all of these elements in place pulling in the same direction working as a cohesive system
then it becomes about management if you want to understand what a brand manager does then
this video will help you out until next time brand like a master and i'll see you in the next video