Brands have undoubtedly never been so important to our culture. Brand is no longer associated only with products and businesses, people and places are just as likely to get ‘brand treatment’. Just think “The Beckhams” for personal brand and Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester for destination brands.
Originating from marking livestock with fire heated irons to identify ownership, branding today is seriously big business.
You’d expect us, as a PR company to be on top of our own brand so you won’t be surprised to know that 10 years on from our ‘old’ logo launch, we’re introducing a fresher, more updated look. But it’s surprising how, for many businesses, this is where ‘branding’ begins and then ultimately ends.
Managing your brand isn’t just about your logo, or having a website or being active on social media. True brand presence comes from personality. And personality can only come from people.
‘Brand Approach’ has always had its people at its heart. Our colours, our font, our website, our premises are only as good as the team working within. So when we decided to update our brand as part of our 15th anniversary celebrations this year, it was something everyone was involved in. Without internal buy in at every level, what can we hope to give out?
This is key to the way any businesses should work. Your team needs to be invested in who you are and how you operate before you can expect to attract new business. The most important factor in 15 years of Approach, has been involving every member of the team in its growth and in its future.
If I was to look at my personal brand I’d like to think it communicated sincerity, dedication and drive – it’s power is in attracting and retaining staff loyalty, securing buy-in and ensuring client delivery. This empowered team, in turn, creates the Approach brand – successful, focussed, creative, award-winning.
New colours are only part of the Approach story and just as PR is entering a new era of extended comms with terms like ‘content’ and ‘integrated’ eclipsing ‘faxing’ and ‘franking’, we are entering a new era with an extended team and offering.
Brand isn’t all about looks – colour, style and noise are just the beginning. A brand communicates a promise and that promise is delivered by who and what is behind it. Of course, take care of your appearance and use it to attract. But remember, a brand should be lived, breathed and believed. And that can only start with you.
