Your logo is an important element of your brand. It expresses personality and helps build recognition. But a successful brand is far more than a memorable logo.

Logo versus brand
Think of your logo as the thumbprint of your organization. It’s the signature. It’s how you’ll be recognized quickly. Yet it’s just one small part of your brand system.

Your brand is the DNA of your organization
A brand is built on a combination of an identity system including logo, colors, fonts and visual style; brand guidelines to manage the visual elements; and messaging architecture to define the key ideas, brand promise and messages.

A brand is also created from experiences—every interaction or encounter with your audiences at every touch point—whether online, on the phone, in the store, in the mail or in person.

An effective brand program unifies all visual and verbal communications. It’s focused. It tells your organization’s story; incorporates your values and vision; tells your audiences about your benefits; and shows how you’re unique. A clear and consistent brand will inspire recognition and engage audiences.

What can we learn from Starbucks?
Take a look at the unconventional marketing strategy of Starbucks. For years, Starbucks focused on offering a unique experience. The President and CEO, Howard Schultz, set out to create “a place for conversation and a sense of community. A third place between work and home.”

You didn’t see billboards or newspaper ads for Starbucks. Instead, they let the brand build a following with word-of-mouth advertising. Their emphasis on customer satisfaction and devotion to the communities they serve, as well their product quality, set them apart and built brand loyalty.

Starbucks sells more than a cup of coffee, they sell the entire experience. This strategy shows the impact of a well-crafted, cohesive and unified brand.

Your brand in 2013
A successful brand works at every level of interaction. How is your current brand working? Is it time to evolve for new audiences with different expectations? To build your brand online where people search for products and services? To make it easier for people to find you on their smartphones?

Download these guidelines when you’re considering a rebrand or rename, or you want to test the effectiveness of your digital, online brand:
    > Rebrand Guidelines—test yourself with our five reasons to rebrand.
    > Website Effectiveness Scorecard—is your website delivering?
    > 6 Steps for Creating a New Name—do people remember and understand your name?

Visit our website to learn more about our approach. Not sure where to start? A brand audit will give you a snapshot review of where you are now.

Tell us where you want to be. We’ll work with you to achieve your marketing goals in 2013. Give us a call at 866-363-4433, or drop us an email.