Strategies for brand development are changing

This is my first blog post of 2011. What better to write about than a fundamental component in the success or failure of any organisation or business – its 'brand'.

Last year I received an SOS call from an online start up business after they had already established a name and brand processes. I'm sorry to say that it failed to get traction beyond first base. The obvious reason was poor brand development, which was cruelly exposed in the vast expanses of cyberspace. Without good fundamental brand development and consideration of how it would work online, all activity lacked foundation and, as a consequence, amounted to little more than patching.

In recent years there has been much debate about how communications and marketing are changing, with the most dramatic paradigm shifts coming from the impacts of new media. But what about the holy grail of brand development, which still appears on the surface to be impervious to the current turbulence?

Of course the basic disciplines of developing a successful brand are ageless, but the shift from a reliance on traditional mainstream media to an online world is exposing some cracks in accepted thinking.

Let me start by getting something off my chest. As a professional strategist and communicator I have long had a somewhat cynical view of the role of specialist brand development agencies. Many are very professional and deliver value but, for some reason, this 'expertise' seems to be largely the preserve of graphic design agencies, in my view because it is a way for graphic designers to augment and feed their design work. What's wrong with that one might say? It simply means that brand development is too often wrapped up in graphic design processes to the exclusion of the much needed wider view.

Of course successful brand development ultimately involves the development of broad organisational strategies, particularly in marketing and communications, but by no means exclusively. These are fundamental considerations, which occupy a much wider pallet than just graphic design. But how often are we told that a 'brand' is not just a 'logo', only to see its practical manifestation go little further than a logo and style guide?

How is the new environment changing the way we need to approach brand development?

The first is that smart organisations will be forced to look far beyond the graphic designer's perspective and that more organisational strategists and even ad agencies and public relations companies will answer the need for more collaborative and holistic thinking.

The second shift will see brand development expertise requiring a deeper understanding of the new online and social media world. That's not merely because most people now engage with brands through completely different channels where 'choice' is the overarching driver, it's also now crucial to consider name development within the disciplines of website and online strategy processes.

Of course all of this is high-level theory and does not point to specific considerations, so in my next blog post I will share some practical points needed when developing an online start up brand.

Related items

BLOG POST: Brand development for online start-ups needs purpose and discipline

ADVISOR: Six tips for creating a name for your online start-up

About the author facebook.com/frasercarson2  www.fresco.co.nz

Fraser Carson is a respected communications and social media consultant, and commentator. He has particular experience and interest in community building, the not-for-profit sector and business development.

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