Branding

We take a look at how to make a name for yourself and, thus, how to create a brand. And, of course, how we can help you do both.

What do you think of when you hear the word “Volvo”? If you immediately think of the latin for “I roll,” that’s very good but not quite where we were going. No, unless you’ve been living with Central African Pygmies for the last 40 years, you’ve probably been conditioned to think of safety, security, reliability and practicality at the first mention of the Swedish auto giant. Conditioned by careful, clever marketing and concerted brand-building most likely. But what exactly is a brand?

To put it briefly, it’s a company that’s staked a monopoly to a particular communications theme, or group of themes. By identifying characteristics that consumers want, or would want, a strong brand will lay claim to them, using clever and repeated communications to seal its monopoly.

But before we go any further, let’s elaborate by way of an example.

And it’s back to our old friends at Volvo again.

In an era before airbags, ABS, impact beams and most of the automotive life support systems we now take for granted, Volvo rightly asserted that people had the odd lurking safety-related concern about being propelled across the countryside at 70-odd mph in a metal box full of edges sharper than one of Don Johnson’s suits. So they became the first manufacturer to fit seatbelts as standard, as well as pioneering crumple zones, pedestrian impact protection, impact bars and countless other lifesavers. They also made their products to a much higher standard than most, using rustproofing techniques when others were busy perfecting the angle of their fins, the piping of their seat materials or, of course, building cars that were designed to rust and fall apart, forcing hapless customers to upgrade on a regular basis. Needless to say, Volvo wasn’t shy about trumpeting its unique virtues and, happily, they’d found a rich brand territory indeed. So much so that even decades later in the 21st century, the company’s slogan is “For life,” encapsulating the enduring themes of safety, durability and brand loyalty. Not that we’re suggesting for a second that Volvo’s admirable history of life-saving innovation has been primarily a brand-building exercise.

Far from it. Volvo was simply a progressive, responsible company that found a niche making motoring safer and more reliable for the masses. And, like all the best brands, the marketing simply highlighted the things Volvo did differently or better.

It’s all very well claiming to have prices “you wouldn’t believe” or products “you’ll love” or printing the word “SALE” bigger than the place itself. But, let’s face it, any company could say the same thing and, indeed, many companies will. Instead, the strongest, most memorable, most successful brands only ever tell the truth. They just tell it very well.
Which is where we come in.

We’ll highlight the things that differentiate you from your competitors. Whether you’re cheaper, better, quicker, stronger, more dependable, higher quality, more accessible, nicer to your customers, greener, bespoke, whatever. We’ll find ways to communicate what you do best so that it’ll be understood, admired and remembered by the people you want to communicate to.

We’ll use wit, charm, shock, awe, whatever’s appropriate to deliver your message powerfully and cleverly. We’ll also convey your messages consistently across everything from your website to your annual report to your leaflets, so that people start to recognise the familiar tone of your communiqués before they’ve even fully read them. After all, it’s always easier to buy from someone you know, understand and trust.

But why choose Honest over our competitors?

Put simply, a communications company can only ever create a brand as strong as its own abilities. Just as well for you that we’ve got the full compliment of skills, as well as experience and a proven track record of building strong brands for everyone from universities to one-man-bands. Just check out our case studies to find out more. And, just to prove the point, we’ve been entrusted with singing the virtues of household brands from British Airways to MTV to Volkswagen (a fuller list is available here on our brands page).

Not only that but we’re also the only communications company at the time of writing that’s prepared to put its money where its mouth is and actually build a brand of its own. Think about it. Many of our competitors will try to bully you into buying the most outlandish, daring work (mostly to win awards for themselves), whilst simultaneously explaining little or nothing of what their company stands for. What makes them different? What makes them better? Their silence, generally, speaks volumes. The way we see it, if we’re going to persuade you to part with your hard-earned cash for a brand idea, we’d better set about creating a brand for ourselves.

So we hope you wouldn’t buy a used Volvo or, for that matter a brand, off anyone else.

If you’ve already read through our upfront explanations of our, copy, design, and technology, there’s really nothing more to do but give us a call or email.

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