Gone are the days when branding was all about a beautiful identity.  People who believe in creating brands – go by logic and others just design it. A design is an integral part of a brand but it should advocate the concept, the identity and the brand elements.

The future of branding doesn’t seem to be same.  The world is evolving everyday and so are the brands worlds over. The base rule of branding still remains the same, i.e., a brand is a great idea which is executed well.  But consistency is and was always significant and to be consistent in what we do and deliver, we need to check the future of branding.

The present & future of branding is changing. It is evolving every day. Technology is driving the bandwagon. It has once again lead to a power shift. The consumer is powerful with technology.

Purpose & Promise

The purpose of a brand will always remain significant. A brand must have a value to deliver. Customers will have various medium to rely on what is said, projected by the brand but the brand promise is the one which is delivered to the customer. They should believe in it and this will only lead to a positive brand experience and word-of-mouth which is even today said to be the most relevant to any brand kind.

Simplicity

Technology has given the power in the hands of the customer. Any information about the brand, its benefit, pricing, customer feedback is available at a click. The social media subscriptions, online advertisements have reduced the mind recall time of a brand and that is why – it is important that the future brands be simple. A brand model from now on needs to be simpler and less intellectual; it has to be action oriented and practical. This makes it easier for people to believe in the brand and follow it.

Consumer

Consumer has to be the centre point of your branding exercise. She is the only focus one has to keep in mind. The brand purpose, the brand communication, the brand benefits – all the branding components should be conceptualized with consumer in the mind. That is the utmost perspective. A consumer today is informed, educated and is well equipped with the current wave of technology, he explores search engines, checks product ratings, surfs social networks before any decision and so it becomes even more important to brand your brand with consumers in the hindsight.

Like always, “The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife” (- David Ogilvy)

Technology

The technology world is becoming vast. The information sharing is too fast for a consumer to choose based on it. The new media is evolving but it is not a leading decision support mode. Certainly, it has made the information flow quicker, it has connected the number of consumers and it has got a reach but it also results in confusing the consumer. And that leaves the online situation just like the offline reality.  The need of a brand to earn a consumers mind space and reach to her pocket still lies there and that can only be fulfilled by keeping the Brand Promise and living upto the expectations of even exceeding them.

And that is what makes – technology (read new media) significant for your brand exercise. You need to know the right customer, reach them through right platform and watch out your communication as well.

On social media- what matters is how well you communicate about your brand, your offer and how many more minutes or seconds could you secure above the competition, did anyone wrote a blog or comment advocating your brand. What induces that behavior? Think about it when you take up branding on new media.

Environment

If you are an environmentally concerned brand, if you care about the world we live in or even if you are a brand which is doing its bit for environment. Believe me- you have an edge over those who are not.

Consumer is health conscious, governments are spreading awareness, health organizations are doing their bit and that is why today we see some of the world’s leading brands from Toyota to Coca Cola are talking about going green. The celebrities are turning for some cause or the other, the campaigns have million joining, and the youth is ready to volunteer – because they all wish to go green.

That is why it would make great sense for your brand – to go green or to even have green practices or to even be an advocate or volunteer for a green cause. This leads your Brand Personality. And that is why to be an environmentally safe brand is what we strongly recommend.

All these points will make your brand appealing and approachable for the consumer. So next times when you work on building a brand remember to, Keep it simple. Keep it futuristic.

Create Good Brands 🙂