Do you actually have a brand?

The full version of this article was first published at: Do you actually have a brand?


This post was contributed by Ty James Largo, Owner + Creative Director at AWE Collective.  It happens all the time here at the agency – we sign a new marketing or PR client who’s looking to increase their bottom line, and when we ask them to send over their brand assets, brand brief and any other brand-related items — we find a logo in our inbox. Worse yet, it’s a logo in JPG form. So many startups are so eager to launch that they frequently overlook the most fundamental elements of establishing a brand. Instead, they hop on Fiverr for a quickie, made-overnight logo and then mark their startup’s branding process complete. Wrong. A brand isn’t a single, graphic element. It’s the entire human experience surrounding your company, products, customers, space, employees and overall messaging. Let’s take a look at a retail shop, for example. When we create a retail brand, it involves considerably more than just a simple logo. What’s the brand’s color story? Better yet, what’s the brand’s story, period? What does the exterior signage and window-merchandising look like, and how does it help you business appeal to your target market? What’s the desired temperature and aroma chosen to permeate the retail space? How is it all tied together through lighting, music and merchandising fixtures? What message shows up on your sales receipt, and what graphic is emblazoned on your shopping bags? What’s the tone of voice used for social posts, and how do the the graphic and photography…
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