Rebranding a Company

Every now and then companies seek out the assistance of a graphic Designer with their brand image, to either elevate it or change it completely. When a company rebrands it is either because their brand is is failing to succeed or it is ready evolve in the business world and gain further recognition. Rebranding is a strategy undergone by a company to change its name, term, symbol or design thereof. The intention is to re-establish the brand in the minds of the consumer, Investors and competitors. These changes are aimed at dispelling any negative connotations which were previously associated with the brand. In rebranding a company is able to reposition itself and communicate effectively.

A company may also want to rebrand if it is entering into a new line of business that is not in line with its current brand identity e.g. Apple changing from being Apple Computers so simple being known as Apple. Relevancy is also a cause for change as the identity must reflect the company’s current positioning of itself. And sometimes competition can serve as a catalyst for change; a competitor’s image can render your company’s as old outdated. Rebranding may be the only way for a company to regain its foothold in the market. A shining example of this is Microsoft, a company which has undergone a gradual rebranding of its products between 2011 and 2012 following the release of the Windows Phone 7. It also changed its logo, services and website to adapt to the market and compete with frontrunners like Apple and Google in its sector. It is considered wise for a company to inform its customers of its rebranding so that they won’t be completely shocked when it does happen.

For a past school project I had the opportunity to pick a company I thought needed a new identity and rebrand it completely. The company I chose is Retrofontein, a street wear brand characterised by its use of bright bold patterns in its clothing designs. The company started in 2012 and is based in Johannesburg. The target market is 16 to 25 year old males and females living in urban areas attending high school and tertiary. The problem I found with the company is that its previous logo did not reflect its products and neither did the brand extension (of which there was very little). So I was tasked with the creation of a brand identity which would stand out amongst the competition and reflect their offering to the market. I came up with a logotype for them with a repetitive pattern in movement and then I abstracted an element from it to create a pattern for the brand extension. The new logo and brand extension I created for them reflects who they are what they do and it gives them a new competitive advantage.  So what do you think of the new brand identity?

Old logo.

New Logo.

Business card.

Letterhead

Flyer.

Poster/Magazine advert.

Billboard.

References:
http://aytm.com/blog/research-junction/rebranding-essentials-why-rebrand/
http://www.pencilscoop.com/2013/04/5-amazing-examples-of-successful-rebranding/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebranding

Personal Branding

The art of personal branding has seen a sharp rise within the last few years, partly because of the overwhelming popularity of social networks which have made branding more personal and within reach for a lot of people. Personal branding is defined as the act of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. The theory of personal branding suggests that a person can market themselves as a package. The idea of personal branding was first introduced in the 1937 book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

For celebrities it involves applying one’s name or image to a product e.g. international footballer’s name Messi being applied to a branded pair of Adidas soccer boots sold worldwide and South African media personality Minenhle Dlamini  being the face of the new range of Motions’ line of hair products.

If you want to find clues as to what your personal brand might be just recall key words (humorous, well spoken, intelligent) that your fellow peers have used to describe you. How people perceive you can be the strongest indication of where your brand strength lies. Another point worth mention is for a brand to be distinguishable it has to possess a niche whereby it can stand alone, in other words it has to be authentic.

A commonly shared misconception amongst people, me included before I read up on the topic, is that personal branding is a self centred act when in fact it is about sharing yourself with an audience. You are basically attempting to fill a need your audience has. 

A personal brand is also faced with the task of having to prove it can deliver what it promised, which is why a personal brand should be aligned with your strengths. And last, but not least it is important for a personal brand to avoid negative behaviour, as seen with Oscar Pistorius after murder charges were brought against him sponsors and the public were quick to turn against him. His personal brand went from him being the man who proved anything is possible by competing in the Olympics even with his disability, to him being labelled a murderer and woman abuser. On the same day of the incident prominent sponsors such as Nike and Oakley, pulled out all campaigns featuring the athlete in fear of being associated with a murderer, guilty or not.  So the question I have to ask you is; Do you have a personal brand that you are pushing and what do you think of the idea of personal branding?

 Minenhle Dlamini for Motions

 Messi's Adidas soccer boot branding

 Oscar Pistorius Nike  brand campaign

Reference:

http://mashable.com/2009/02/05/personal-branding-101/

http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/13342/top-10-secrets-to-mastering-your-personal-br

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_branding

The importance of naming a brand correctly

The name of a brand is one of the foremost determinants of whether people will fall in love with it or hate it. A consumer can form an opinion about a brand just from hearing its name. So when naming a brand a company should pay close attention as to whether it will resonate with its target audience. Although there are no rules in particular to naming a brand, I found and summarised ten steps that one should consider following when naming a brand and they are as follows:

1.       Give the naming process priority; do not treat it as an afterthought: In the creative world the product or service offered by a company is often given much more attention than its naming and thus results in a last minute rush for a name. The naming should fall into the development part of the brand.

2.       The naming process is as strategic as it is creative: A great name does not come simply, as it is suppose to define the personality and position of the brand. Strong brands transcend the physical attributes of a company, products or services. They form emotional connections with consumers. A brand name should have enough flexibility to cater to an evolving market.

3.       Never underestimate the importance of a creative brief: A naming brief should be specific, highlight the elements of the strategy to be communicated and set clear understandable parameters on its construction. The brief should act as a lens through which you filter a suitable name for your organisation.

4.       Do not confuse differentiation with communication: Companies more often than not, use descriptive terms to name themselves in a bid to lessen the need to explain what their brand is all about. They often think that the more detailed the name is the more likely customers will understand it when in fact picking a simple name makes it easier to remember and allows them to associate a chosen meaning to it.

5.       Look into trademarks to avoid issues: There are approximately over thirteen million trademarks in the world and two hundred and fifty thousand words in the English dictionary. So chances are your name might end up not being yours alone. Therefore names should be pre-screened during the trademark process to illuminate ones that are off limits. Pre-screening saves you time and endless legal battles.

6.       Pay attention to global implications: Make sure that your name is not inappropriate to translates to something thereof in another language. Global Linguistics should be evaluated on a name after it has been shortlisted or chosen. The last thing any company wants is a name which translates as offensive to cultural group.

7.       Choose a name subjectively: Choose a name based on the criteria for success by having a strong brand strategy, clear role of the name and key attributes it should communicate. Research will help you tremendously in this department.

8.       Not everything requires a name: As an organisation grows so do its products and services, thus compelling the naming of each and every one of them. Too many names associated to a brand tend to confuse the customer and this can work against it. Not everything requires naming, just the right strategy to push it.

9.       Get rid of irrelevant names: Brands evolve over time due to changes in the market and customer demand. The current name may not be able to carry the company to the next level of its restructuring. Therefore a company should consider renaming its brand/s in a manner which is not abrupt but gradual.

10.   Do not end the verbal identity process at a name: A brand is more than just the name given to it. The name forms one part a of brand’s verbal identity, Brands should speak to their audiences in a language which has an appropriate tone for a positive response. This determines whether or not they will manage to draw up an emotional connection with their audiences.

The naming process is just as important, if not more, as any other when coming up with or restructuring a brand. The name can be what sell or kills the brand. Brands that do succeed and continue to do so know the importance of a name and paid close attention to it. So the next time you fall in love with a brand name, think of how much thought process went into making it appeal to you.

References: 

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/05/the-science-of-naming-brands-from-ipad-to-ice-cream/238820/

http://www.interbrand.com/en/knowledge/papers-and-articles/10-Most-Common-Naming-Mistakes.aspx

Brand Campaigns

Branding has become something a company cannot do without when wanting to sell its products and services to the masses. A brand has to speak to a person’s senses and influence them to buy into the brand. In order to make a brand work a company has to define its values, the image its wants to portray and the action it wants people to take after coming into contact with it. One of many mechanisms used to measure the success of a campaign is called ‘brand recall’ this is measured by whether a consumer can remember the name of a brand, company or product as part of a particular class. And because consumers have a lot on their minds on a daily basis, brands have to work hard at occupying the limited space available in the consumers mind in order to reinforce their message.

Now a short lived branding campaign has to work even harder at this as it has a limited time in which to implement itself in the consumers mind. On the positive side short campaigns increase urgency for the retailer to sell the product and the consumer to buy it as soon as possible. I had the pleasure of producing a short branding campaign for a school project in the form of Women Writers 2013. For this project I had to pick a female author and create a brand campaign around them, three of their books and a book launch which would happen on the 9^th of August on Women’s Day.

The Author that I chose is Toni Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, February 18, 1931). She is a world renowned American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are famed for having richly detailed characters which take the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride. She has a string of awards under her belt including a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Nobel Prize. The three novels that I went with for my book trilogy are:

1.       The Bluest Eye: Written in 1970 this was Toni’s first novel, written while she was still teaching at Howard University. The story revolves around a little girl named Picola who because of being mocked everyday by other kids for her dark skin, constantly prays for beauty, blonde hair and blue eyes.

2.       Song of Solomon: The story revolves around Macon Dead Jr. nicknamed “Milkman”. The story follows his compelling journey from being an arrogant boy to a compassionate man.

3.       Tar Baby: This story revolves around Jadine Childs, a black fashion model with a white patron. She falls deeply in love with a black fugitive named Son. The Story chronicles the forbidden love between the two in a racial setting.

The logo that I created for the event was inspired by a pen and the form of a figure meditating, which is something one has to do in order to reach a calm place in order to write. I then abstracted the two and fused them into one. I extended the logo by making it form dandelion seeds which are blown into the air by the wind. Dandelion seeds being blown into the air evoke emotions of lightness, happiness and tranquillity. I decided to shoot all my book covers and theme them around figures standing in the sunset. Here are a few pieces from the campaign:

Logo

 Poster

Bookmark

The Bluest Eye

Song of Solomon

Tar Baby

Promotional bag

Notebook

Web Advert

 3D book reading environment

The campaign taught me that for a brand to work all of the different marketing tools used have to communicate the same visual message, they can have variety but essentially they must look like a family well spread out.

References:

https://www.promoboxx.com/blog/2013/08/long-or-short-campaigns-which-is-right-for-your-brand/

http://ivarsmore.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/how-branding-campaigns-work-for-brand-recall/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Morrison

Emotional Branding

I work at a retail shop on weekends, so I am exposed to the selling and marketing of brands on a regular basis, you might even say I am a part of the brand marketing machine. I work in the sports section of the shop where I witness and assist an abundance of customers come in looking for a specific shoe from a specific brand. When they don’t find what they are looking for it is either they walks away with their spirits down or, every salesperson’s nightmare, throw a ridiculous tantrum and demand that you find what they are looking for. And when their mind is set, requesting that they chose something similar from another brand only further induces their tantrum.

Why does this happen you may ask, well it is because these people and  many other have fallen prey to a skilful little vice that brands use, it is referred to as ‘emotional  branding’.  This is when a brand appeals to a consumer’s emotional state, needs and desires. It is a term used mostly within Marketing Communication. Emotional branding triggers an emotional response in the consumer, a desire and longing for the product which they cannot fully understand or explain.  The consumer even goes as far as developing an attachment, bond and feeling of love towards the brand.

The origin of branding lies within the symbols that brands use. These symbols are created by graphic designers to hold a particular meaning and thus connect with the consumer’s emotions and beliefs about themselves. The idea of associating a brand to a lifestyle was first used by Thomas J. Barrett [1]in the 1900’s when he used advertising to associate high culture and quality to brand Pears Soap[2]. The successful marketing of this product using emotional manipulation saw other brands take note and follow suit.

Emotional branding is meant to create an undeniable bond between the product and the consumer. It embeds a subconscious need for the consumer to acquire the product in order to feel content, this why brands now strive to have a personal relationship with their consumers. This is where brand personality comes into play, when a brand has a personality it assumes human traits in order to achieve differentiation.

So in terms of those customers I encounter on a weekly basis asking them to consider another brand over their preferred one is like asking them to drop a long time companion. I myself am guilty of falling prey to emotional branding and developing a strong preference for certain brands because of the image which they portray.

Reference:

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/brand-personality.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_branding

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Barratt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pears_Soap

---

[1] He was a pioneer of brand marketing and was the chairman of soap manufacturer A&F Pears.

[2] Pears Soap is a brand of soap first produced and sold in 1789 by Andrew Pierce.

kulula’s controversial rebranding

Figure 1: kulula airline


Figure 2: South African Airways airline

To recap on past branding events you might have missed, in March 0f 2013 kulula revealed their new branding strategy. This branding was primarily focused on rebranding their line of fleets with the slogan ‘The Most South African Airways’. Now if you happen to ignore the first two words in the phrase you might notice the distinct resemblance it bears to the brand name of another well known airline. At the official press conference Nadine Damen, kulula’s Marketing Manager spoke of how proud they were of the slogan and hoped it would be received well by their target audience. It goes without mention that the company being copied, South African Airways was pretty peeved about the move.

Now since its inception in 2001 khulula prides itself in being the only privately owned airline in the country, now South African Airways on the other hand was founded in 1934 after the South African Government acquired Union Airways. South African Airways has higher brand recognition because of how long it has been with the country. The re-branding proposed by kulula boasted the phrase “The Most South African Airways” written on the side of the planes in a font suspiciously similar to  the one used by South African Airways to brand their planes. To put the last nail in the coffin the back tail of their planes utilised the South African flag in graphic representation similar to the South African Airways logo.

A few days after the unveiling of the “new” branding strategy kulula held yet another awkward press conference promising to review their proposed branding. This came after a number of people voiced their concerns over the company’s proposed rebranding of their fleet and South African Airways having lodged a complaint with The Advertising Standards Authority.

This was not a wise move for kulula as they went through all that trouble to be labelled as copycats at the end of the day. One out of plain curiosity is compelled to try and decipher why they would go through so much trouble to rebrand themselves in a way which would make them  similar to their biggest competitor. The last time I checked company’s re/branded in order to stand apart from their competitors. This little stunt they pulled is akin to Nandos advertising, its hilarious.

Reference: 

http://www.news24.com/Travel/Flights/kulula-launches-controversial-rebranding-20130306

http://wallstreet.platinumdeplus.com/south-african-airways-against-kulula/

http://www.flightsforafrica.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/9.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Airways

Graphic Design and its role in the South African economy

Design has always played a role in how a society functions in relation to its surroundings. Graphic Design is a term first coined by William Addison Dwiggins in 1922. It is a discourse in which a designer seeks to convey a message to an audience specific to the client. While the discipline has witnessed tremendous growth and acknowledgement around the world for its role in driving the economy, South Africa has only just begun to understand its importance. South Africa is yet to see design as a powerful national resource. The discipline can assist the nation into developing local markets, competing on a global market place and meeting the requirements of social reconstruction. Graphic Design should begin to take a pivotal position in the South African economy. Since Graphic Design is so young in the country, it is only beginning to find its unique creative expression. The expression was evident during the world cup through campaigns such as ‘Fly the Flag’ and ‘Football Friday’. This also demonstrated the passion which the Nation can exude when behind a credible and cohesive brand image. Now imagine if that same kind of immense energy and unity could be channelled by the country through its national branding initiative. There is no doubt in my mind that the South African brand lacks that unique visual nuance to make it unforgettable.  There is a vast amount of Graphic Designers and design houses in the country which would be more than willing to assist in re-branding the nation. The evidence can be found in Design Indaba’s Brand the Beloved Country initiative and the amount of visual material designers create themed around the national flag.

Refferences:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_design

Marian Sauthoff, 2004, Walking the Tightrope: Comments on Graphic Design in South Africa, Design Issues: Volume 20.