Insight into…branding

Here we lift the lid on some of the work we do at TWA. This time it’s some top tips on brand development.

You will have heard the old adage, a brand is more than a logo, but many clients still see their brand as the swoosh or identity that sits on their website and stationery.

What many fail to realise is that your brand is much more – it’s a living, breathing evolution of your company’s values and reputation. Your brand should reflect who you are as a business and what you want to be famous for.

Our approach to brand development starts with understanding the company, its strategy and growth plans, and ethos. What are the values that are at the heart of the company?
We hold a workshop, involving a mix of individuals and establish these principles. We also look at target audiences, who do you want to speak to as a brand and what sort of values resonate with them?

Once we answer these questions, we can craft a brand story.

Earlier this year, we went through this process ourselves, to develop our own identity and brand. Over the past few years our offer has broadened beyond just PR and we’ve been delivering marketing communications for clients – without really shouting about it. We wanted a new brand that reflected our broader offer and captured the dynamic, creative work we deliver on a daily basis.

TWA’s own brand story explains how we help others share compelling stories about their brand.

If you are looking to evolve or update your brand, here are our five top tips:

1.  Define what it is you want to be famous for
2.  Take time to understand your target audiences and what they want from you as a company and a brand
3.  Make sure you create your brand story which will provide a simple narrative so that all your audiences, including employees, customers, stakeholders and prospects, can easily grasp what you are all about
4.  Involve a cross section of people in the process – this will ensure you get buy in across your organisation
5.  Think about where you are going as a business and make sure your brand is ‘stretchable’ to reflect growth, expansion, new services or products etc.