Chris Murphy, Chairman at Balloon Dog takes a look at the considerations that should be made when deciding on effective brand exposure.



Despite these difficult times, this is truly a golden age for marketing, branding and design to prove its commercial worth. Never has there been a better opportunity to engage with customers, understand their needs, create products to serve that need and for brands to stand out in crowded marketplaces. And most importantly of all, the measurement of these elements can prove the case for investment, making budget talks with the Finance department about investment as opposed to cost. No longer is it just individual product sales that can be tracked, brands command a financial value that represent a distinct element of a company’s value.



To maximise presence in the marketplace and value on the balance sheet, there is a growing realisation that the product, brand identity (the logo in old speak!), packaging, promotion and POS all have to work in harmony to create a consistent and more appealing customer experience. But against this background, one fundamental and long-standing brand truth remains. You have to have sincerity and authenticity because to contrive a brand positioning or not deliver the product promise could leave you exposed to negative comments on blogs, forums and other online activities, where stories often spread rapidly and widely. The consumer of today can see ‘brand spin’ a mile off!  



However the customer can be an understanding soul so mistakes can be tolerated as long as the honesty in all product and brand messaging is also reflected in dealing with problems, be that a sub-standard product or poor service. And here is where tone of voice has grown in significance over the last few years. A welcoming, conversational tone can create a stronger relationship with the customer than the exaggerated and overstated claims that used to be the hallmark of many brands. Clearly brands look for distinctiveness and in this regard a brand’s personality needs to be clear  - the work we do for Pret A Manger conveys a passion for the finest, freshest ingredients to create the best sandwiches and food ‘on the go’. But it is the charm and often quirkiness of the copy that customers warm to. No hectoring or preaching, nothing too worthy, just some profoundly held beliefs and a little sense of fun. Innocent drinks is another great example of using the style of copy to really engage the consumer – always informative yet equally fun, reading the bottle is part of the brand experience.



There are some aspects of product and brand design that have not changed, but their importance has grown. In a truly competitive environment, standing out from the competition, especially on a shelf when you physically sit side-by-side with your peers, makes the use of colour type and imagery real weapons in the brand armoury. Brand owners must start with reflecting their real brand truths with the appropriate fonts and shades but then convey them in a way that creates impact, especially when the ‘dwell time’ on the pack may be a split second. And often the product can help to speak for itself. Dorset Cereals uses earthy colours and a rustic typeface that compliment the transparent part of the packaging that allows the shopper to see the natural looking flakes inside the box.



With this need for consistency at every stage of the customer journey and the wisdom of making the most of colour, type and tone to convey your brand, there has been a refreshing move to impactful yet simple work. If you need a design that works across everything from a lorry side to a shelf strip, packing to a website and copy, and messages that travel from advertising to a call centre, clarity and simplicity work better. Opportunities exist to develop the brand story on your website, brand or product literature, but the basics need to be short and easily understood. The customer is not going to work too hard to understand your brand if the one next door is saying what they stand for in a more clear and concise way.