Discovering Yourself: The Branding Journey

Branding is the process of giving a meaning to a specific organization, company, product or service by creating and shaping a brand in consumers’ minds. However, the tricky part of branding is that it isn’t just what a company says its branding is – branding is what consumers think and feel it is. That’s why it’s not as simple as saying, “We’re great!”

Strong brands are not only immediately identifiable by consumers, but also bring up particular feelings for consumers. They also often outperform competitors and provide more opportunities for their employees.

At Asher, our job is to become an extension of our clients to fully learn all they have to offer in order to help them with branding so they can achieve their strategic, financial and growth goals.

To accomplish this, we have developed a specialized branding process to help clients craft their brand story.

Understanding a brand

The first step of our branding process is to work with our clients to understand their brand’s core: the company’s purpose, vision, values, and unique selling proposition. A strong brand core defines what a brand stands for and demonstrates how to effectively communicate it to the outside world.

Today’s consumers want brands that are about more than just trying to sell them stuff. They want to do business with brands they can feel good about. A clear brand core helps companies make meaningful decisions and think more strategically.

Another important part of understanding a brand is uncovering any brand misconceptions or negative perceptions that must be changed. These are often difficult for companies to identify on their own because they are too close to the brand. Asher acts as an impartial, and knowledgeable, audience to uncover and identify any branding shortcomings.

Research

Deep research among customers, prospects and employees is an extremely important step in the branding process. It’s vital to know where a brand currently stands and how it resonates with various audiences to find opportunities. Only researching the target audience only uncovers part of the story. We also provide research for competitors and the current state of the industry as a whole. Asher also does survey research in order to better define the qualities that differentiate a company in the market based on data.

Strategy and positioning

Once research is competed, compiled and analyzed, Asher then determines the differentiators that set a brand apart in the minds of consumers. We then develop a specific brand personality that aligns with the brand’s core. By uncovering a brand’s purpose, vision, values and personality, Asher is able to conceptualize strategies, marketing initiatives and media plans designed to meet, and often exceed, brand awareness goals.

Development and implementation

During the development phase, the Asher team gets to work on concepting. This is where we develop a brand identity, the look and messaging that consumers will see. Logos, fonts, color palettes, taglines, voice and more are all part of it.

All data from the research and strategy phase is implemented into the new brand design options. The client is included in each step of the process, especially during development. We don’t simply push our ideas onto our clients. We work together to develop a strong, comprehensive and correct brand that fits our client’s goals. Working together to build a brand also builds a strong relationship between Asher and our clients that relies on mutual trust, respect and understanding.

Once all areas of the new branding are created, Asher generates all necessary files, formats, and provides direction on implementation, including detailed planning for traditional, digital and social media.

How’s your branding?

When was the last time you took a strategic look at your brand? Maybe it’s time for a thorough evaluation. Asher is here to help. To find out more about the Asher Brand Development process, reach out to Asher today.