thread's not dead - doITlab

Branding Fundamentals
It’s a common misconception that a brand is a company’s logo. That’s just part
of it. Some experts say that a company’s brand is the “gut feeling” in their
audience. The brand is actually a combination of all experiences that a person
has with a company. When you think of every interaction as “branding” you can
begin to shape the way people feel about your company in a natural way. I’m
going to give you some advice to make sure your brand is on point.
Consistency is Key
The most important thing in branding is consistency. You need consistency in
your designs, website, packaging, and social media presence. You need consistency
in the way you talk to customers, how you answer the phone, what your
email signature says, and the verbiage on your website, etc. The number one
thing to remember is you are setting and meeting customer expectations.
Cure Apparel started from scratch in 2008 and is a great example of a t-shirt startup
THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley
Cure Apparel Does it Right
For instance, Kelly Kiernan at Cure Apparel has type 1 diabetes. He started a
line because he wanted to help “find the cure” and raise awareness. As an appreciator
of music and fashion, this was his avenue.
Now Kelly realized that there many “find the cure” type t-shirts for diabetes but
they all seem to have that “free giveaway” look you might see at a fund raiser
event. He wanted to make supporting the cure for diabetes a “cool thing to do.”
With that in mind, Kelly came to Go Media and asked me to design their logo,
website, and first line of t-shirts. This basically ensured consistency across the
board. Everything had a very cohesive look to things – the colors, symbols, textures,
etc. So when they launched, they immediately set the expectations that
they were a legit clothing brand and it DID feel cool to support the cure!
When people ordered t-shirts from Cure, they were shipped in a custom package
(with help from Derisory Designs who do great packaging) with the cure
logo and included stickers and a handwritten note thanking them. This leaves
the customer with a wholesome feeling of being cared for. The customer’s experience
through the whole process was consistently good and this leaves a
lasting impression in their gut.
So for you, work hard to make the entire customer experience a great one that
consistently pleases and exceeds their expectations. Make sure all your designs
look like they belong together and aren’t a smorgasbord of various design
styles and themes.
Be Human
I keep reading how important it is to be human in your branding and marketing.
As if this thought was new! But we saw how automated bots destroyed Myspace
and now major brands are pulling back the curtain to reveal real people behind
their Twitter and Facebook profiles. Because you have a brand name, you don’t
have to act like a faceless company.
Branding & Marketing 55