Brands are so much more than just a logo

Just like a person has key characteristics which reflect their personality, so too do brands. 

These key characteristics are referred to as 'brand attributes'. They are qualities and features which are inherent parts of your brand. It is really important to have a handle on your brand attributes - particularly if you want an authentic brand.

Key characteristics for a person are often a blend of visual features, verbal nuances, traits and behaviour. They reflect your personality and distinguish you as an individual.

In a person it visually might be a big nose and high cheekbones, or bushy eyebrows and long eyelashes (reading back on this sentence, I may have subconsciously just described all mine!) Verbally it could be the slight lisp when speaking or the raspy tone of your voice. A key characteristic could also be the way you pronounce a certain word, or the beautiful rich sound of your accent. Each of these distinguish you and are key characteristics someone else would use to describe you. 

Traits and behaviour examples are things like how much you worry about things (or if you worry at all); how serious you take life; or if you are a clean freak who hates having dirty hands and everything must be in its right place for there to be order in the world (now I am definitely not speaking about me).

It is the same for brands. Your brand attributes are key visual features, the tone and voice of your brand and the common behaviour your brand displays. Key characteristics of your brand are inherent  - they are distinctive to your brand and all attributes combined distinguish your brand from others.

Visual attribute examples for brands are things like a clever and memorable logo or, at the other end of the scale, an inappropriate or really ugly logo. How consistent a brand is visually represented, both in terms of logo and other supportive graphic elements, is another example of a possible key characteristic.

Verbal brand attribute examples are things like the language your brand uses - how loose you are with grammar in your billboards, common words your brand uses in communications and advertising, or perhaps how wordy you are on your website. The tone may also be a brand characteristic if it is always official or always relaxed. 

Examples of traits and behaviour that make up a brand's key characteristics are things like your brand always being the first to market with something new or clever, or being outspoken about a particular issue, or if your brand is strongly opinionated.

I love the brand VinoMofo - an online wine sales company that distinguishes itself from the rest with its sense of humour. If you haven't discovered it before now, your life is about to change - for the better. VinoMofo makes buying wine fun (alright, it was fun already but they make it extra fun).  A key visual characteristic of this brand is the imagery they use - everyone is having a really good time in their photos, everyone is laughing (and drinking wine at the same time, without spilling any - masterful). Key verbal characteristics are the laid back and everyday language they use - like they are one of your mates - and the humour weaved into what they are saying.

And welcome to the most epic wine site on the planet, if we do say so ourselves. And we do, I suppose, since it’s our slogan. Awkward. 

Their brazen self love and self affirmation is a behaviour trait that is definitely a key brand attribute for this company. Particularly the way they express it - in a fun and disarming manner. They even give themselves a shortened nick name.

No bowties and bollocks at the ‘Fo – we live by our credo to step up, care more, keep it real, do some good and have fun.

VinoMofo is a great example of a brand that knows itself and is true to itself. An authentic brand. And that will be a key reason behind its success. 

I have read definitions where brand attributes are explained as the same as brand values. This, in my humble opinion, is not true. Key characteristics are features which are distinctive to you, values are your moral compass. They work together to create the sum of you, but they are very distinctive parts. Let's take VinoMofo as an example. Fun-loving would be a key attribute I associate with this brand. Honesty would be a brand value for this group. 

 I will go into detail about brand values in my next post, but for now, I am off to check out what wine those Mofos have on offer.

Brands are humans too!

What is brand essence and how does it relate to brand personality? What's the difference between brand values and brand attributes? 

If you have ever asked these questions you are not alone. It can be confusing to work out how all the different aspects of your brand fit together and where you should be focusing your energy, particularly when there is conflicting literature explaining their interrelationships and many a different brand onion.

I find the best way to understand a brand is to think about the brand as a person, this then allows you to make sense of each of the elements and logically work through how they fit together. Over the next couple of blog posts let's look at brands by thinking about a person from the outside in, starting in this post with the outer most layer: dress sense.

Clothing

Dress like you want to be addressed - Anon

Just like a person, brands express themselves through how they dress. We tend to build a picture in our minds about a person depending on what they wear - as clothes are often a way in which people reflect their personality. Key things which help build that picture are the colours a person regularly chooses to wear,  how she or she combines them, which ones are dominant as well as the kinds of shoes, jewellery and accessories selected.

For example, if someone wears flat and comfortable shoes all the time, it is likely we will perceive them as a practical person. Someone wearing flamboyant or vibrant colours and cutting edge fashion all the time is someone we are likely to assume is outgoing, or a risk taker. Whereas, someone who always wears the expected suit and tie to work, without much or any deviation from the expected corporate tones, we may perceive as conservative in their outlook in life and their behaviour. Rightly or wrongly we tend to apply stereotypes - a universal association between personality types and certain ways of dressing. 

It is the same for brands. Clothes for a brand are its colours, logo, fonts and imagery (photography or illustration style). 

Most conservative brands use safe fonts and colours in their logo and supporting visual material. Blues and serif fonts are often prominent. Blue because the psychology of this colour represents trust and control. The serif fonts reflect heritage and, therefore, experience. Trust, control and experience are key words these brands want to be associated with. 

Of course, blues and serif fonts can be used in ways to present an edgy brand. But they will be used very differently to a brand wanting to get across the message that they are a safe and reliable choice.

Prestige brands (or brands aspiring to be seen as prestigious) often have a sense of elegance about them and frequently use metallics alongside visuals aspects, tones and imagery to signify luxury. Edgy brands, or those that want to give a sense of fun, will often have logos with individually created fonts, coupled with bold colours and visual elements. 

So how you dress your brand  (the colours, fonts, and visual elements you use - sometimes referred to as a brand's 'look and feel') influences the assumptions people will make about your brand personality and behaviour. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind some of those universal associations when dressing your brand. Equally as important is making sure the way your brand dresses accurately reflects your brands personality. 

Stay tuned for the next post looking at what lies just underneath a brand's 'look and feel': attributes a.k.a key characteristics.

 

Mayo in Oz - top 3 takeaways

The world's first International Health Care and Social Media Summit was held in Brisbane last week.

I was so very grateful to have the opportunity to get some sunshine and thaw out my bones from the cold Melbourne winter. But more importantly, I was thrilled to attend Mayo in Oz - as the Summit was affectionately nicknamed. 

What a great opportunity! There were so many people I spoke to during the Summit who shared my sentiment - that this was one of the best conferences they had been to. Why? Well, it is hard to put my finger on what all the factors were that resulted in such a fantastic event. Many people said it had something to do with the event bringing together like-minded people in the industry to talk about their passion and interest for social media and health care. I am sure it also had something to do with an enormous amount of thought and preparation going into the program development. Everyone was also very excited to have, in our midsts, a number of internationally recognised experts (including the amazing Ed Bennett and wonderfully energetic Dr Wendy-Sue Swanson), Dr Norman Swan as the MC and a group of very talented people from the world's leader in social media and health care - Mayo Clinic's Centre for Social Media.

I got an enormous amount out of the Summit and thought I'd share the top three things I discovered while I was there.

1. It is so important to include people who have used or are using the health system.

The inclusion of their stories and the insights they brought to the Summit was fantastic and so beneficial to all. The generosity of spirit showed by these people, to openly share their difficult journeys, was admirable. 

What was so important was to see it from the 'outside in' from the users' perspective rather than just from the point of view of the provider or organisation.  As one of the presenters in this session mentioned - it is important to have the voice and perspective of those using the health system. "What we need is true, mutual and honourable conversations." I couldn't agree more - let's have more of them together!

We also had a potent reminder  - through a truly inspirational and heartbreaking story of a family's struggle to save their beautiful son -  that many worthy goals are not quantifiable, that success is sometimes measured through love and smiles. Of course at the end of this session, there was not a dry eye in the house. We were all in awe that even after such a loss this mother had the strength - and had generously made time  - to share her story with us that day.

Oh, and did you notice I didn't once refer to these people sharing their stories as 'consumers'. This was something raised in the session exploring online communities. What do you call people who have or are using the health care system?

'Patients' was debated to be an inappropriate term due to the fact that in lots of cases people don't know they are sick, or think of themselves as a 'patient' if not admitted into a hospital etc. So this was counted out as not relevant and misleading. The term bandied around as perhaps the most appropriate was 'health consumers' - however, for me and a number of others, this term is crass in a health care setting. We aren't selling handbags or fast food. In fact, we should be careful with any term that suggests we are 'selling' a service - like the word 'consumer' does - as this takes away from the focus that we are providers of care. My suggestion for what it is worth -  why can't we just call them people?

2. Be prepared and keep calm in a crisis

This might seem like such an obvious tip, but really it was such a relevant point mentioned by all three speakers - Cynthia Floyd Manley, Belinda Hughes and Lisa Ramshaw  - in their discussion on how to manage a crisis in a social world. 

Simple things can make such a difference: such as knowing your processes in advance of a crisis as well as having internal and external templates prepared and ready to use - with everyone familiar with them.

They stressed the importance of making connections and meeting with key people before an emergency hits. It was recommended you meet to discuss processes, responsibilities and to educate them (if required) about the role of social media during a crisis. This is also a critical time to gain agreement on boundaries around 'authority to act' to avoid unnecessary delays in communicating with those involved or the general public. Additionally, the point was made to ensure governance and a process for social media passwords are in place - and to be able to access your tools offsite, if necessary, during an emergency situation

3. Apply the timeless principles of good communication

Marie Ennis-O'Connor's closing key note had many salient points for people to apply to their social media strategies. She reminded us to live 'adventure to adventure' rather than 'project to project' or 'paycheque to paycheque' -  that you should not be involved in social media unless you are genuinely enthusiastic about it. There was no doubt about her enthusiasm and passion - it was contagious! Marie Ennis-O'Connor cleverly applied the principles of Dale Carnegie to guide us in our social media journey. In particular, she reminded us of the power of laughter, the importance of listening, of being relevant and admitting when you are wrong. Not just great principles for communication - but equally good principles for life in general.