Mikey Hart, creative director at strategy design brand company Hulsbosch, believes that brand creation is a compelling challenge. He shares with PKN some pointers on creating a stand-out brand in 2022.
According to Hart, good brand building capabilities and creative excellence are at the heart of forming ideas to drive customer satisfaction, commitment, and connection, off the ground.
He says that creating a brand by finding and identifying the unused space in market, and capitalising on its potential, can be an exhilarating adventure.
“There are three key factors when creating a brand. A compelling brand proposition, a killer name to tell your story and a brand tool kit of distinction. When these are all lined up together, you know you’re on to a winner,” says Hart.
COMPELLING BRAND PROPOSITION
Without a robust brand strategy to adhere to, Hart says that it is difficult to judge which way is up.
“All partnering agencies and internal stakeholders need a true north and common goal to work towards,” he explains.
He says that an in-depth market analysis, to identify the opportunity, needs a simple written proposition to sum up all the information into an entity that is compelling for everyone to get behind.
“Without this key slide within the bigger presentation deck, there really isn’t anything to judge the creative against. From experience this leads to painstaking subjectivity, and the phrase ‘too many chefs spoil the broth’ becomes an alarming reality,” he says.
Hart says that a brand proposition is inspiring and if done right will be like an uplifting manifesto.
“It should aim to define and position the brand amongst competitors in market. Along with this by leveraging both design and strategy, it can inspire stakeholders more about the brand’s possibilities and is a compelling hypothesis.
“Strong visual stimulus to support the various directions is the best way to get an understanding of what a consumer thinks and feels about what you are trying to create.
“It would be best practice to create many brand positioning territories that demonstrate a stretch of thinking. Validating this in consumer research will guide you in what matters, what gets consumers excited and what they dislike,” he says.
KILLER BRAND NAME
Hart believes that naming should be approached with an open mindset.
“Remind yourself of the story you want to tell and how would like your audience to feel and connect with the brand,” he says. “To build a brand that resonates, you need to build and deliver on a story over time with distinctive design assets and consistent brand communication.
“When we worked with Coles to co-create KOi, a hand and body skin care range made with natural fragrances and is cruelty free, the proposition was simple. We wanted customers to ‘Escape Naturally’ with the range of products on offer,” he adds, explaining that the intention behind the name was to make it sound exotic, tranquil and transportive.
“We established the meaning of KOi, and it was quite fitting to our design intention. KOi fish are distinguished by their colour and patterns which are kept for decorative purposes. Through customer research we received similar feedback regarding the design which included reviews like ‘it looked like a piece of art’.
“What would seem a ‘nonsensical word’ can as easily become just as ownable and memorable. Finding a word and attaching a meaning to it can be a powerful way of owning a position in the market,” he says.
Hart explains that the name, in isolation, doesn’t have any meaning without the design which embellishes it – it is the combination of the two, he says, that gives it meaning.
“Names can literally come from anywhere, but when paired and calibrated with the right brand proposition, distinctive visual assets and aligns with its audience – this combination can create something remarkable,” he says.
BE DISTINCTIVE
and delight.
Hart says that he has always loved the line from acclaimed writer and illustrator, Dr Seuss, which says, “Why fit in when you were born to STAND OUT!”. He believes that it is an empowering sentiment for undertaking the ambitious task of creating a new brand.
“Distinctive brand assets are the most influential elements of your brand identity tool kit. It’s what helps consumers instantly recognise you as you, and what you’re all about,” says Hart, who believes that being unique helps brands to stand out from a sea of others. He goes on to cite examples of memorable and consistent brands such as Johnnie Walker with its ‘keep on walking’ tag; symbols and logos like the Woolworths ‘W’; the use of colour in packaging from Cadbury and the company’s use of purple; packaging shapes such as Chanel perfume bottles; and even sound, like the Maccas ‘I’m lovin’ it’ jingle.
Hart says that an established brand has clear advantages with established customer loyalty, trust, brand salience, packaging recall and distinctiveness.
“UK household savour food spread favourite, Marmite is a great example on how to surprise and delight by using a distinctive asset toolkit. Over the years they have released novel line extensions of their base product.
“Remixing their distinctiveness to freshen things up, recruit new customers and keep loyal customers interested can also add to making a disruptive PR story. Their latest release of the Dynamite variant is an example of a brand maintaining its relevancy and brand position,” he says.
“When bringing a new brand to market, take the opportunity to disrupt the category from a new viewpoint and embrace the fresh perspective you can bring to it. Consumers love all things new, and this is your chance to wow them!”
To sum up, Hart asks the question: why fit in when you were born to stand out?
“Create a brand that matters in 2022 with a compelling brand proposition, a killer name to tell your story and a tool kit of distinctive assets to win hearts and minds,” he says.
