How can I become a great brand? How can I make this brand sustainable? What will bring value to my brand? Just what is my story, and how do I tell it? And, what on earth is branding? As I recently refreshed Piece of Cake’s branding the tables were turned, and instead of asking these questions to clients I had to ask them to myself. I must admit that there were times when I felt like the cobbler whose children have no shoes – I was advising clients about how to best tell their own stories whilst challenging myself to express my own.
Piece of Cake already had a professional, smart website that showcased our work, so why change it? Well, I felt that the business had grown and developed since that original site was built and I wanted the brand image to reflect those changes. I decided that the time was right to re-tell Piece of Cake’s story and to refresh the brand.
Branding is more than a logo. It’s more than a website. It’s more than a business card. It’s more than the colours and typefaces that have been chosen to represent the company. Piece of Cake’s brand is its voice in the marketplace. It is its opportunity to create something with lasting impact. It is its opportunity to stand out and do things in a unique way. As I was going through the re-branding process I had to really think about what Piece of Cake stands for and how to communicate those values and those characteristics to the world – there were times when I asked myself if it was worth the time, effort and care that I was taking. Of course, I knew that it was and that it would add value to what we do.
Brand image matters. Going through this process has made me take stock and really think about what Piece of Cake has to say and how best to say it. I believe that from time to time it’s important to do that, to reflect and refresh and to develop and that’s what I’ve done. Equally important is that this process has let me see that process from a different point of view. It’s allowed me to stand in the shoes of my clients and understand what they go through when I work with them – and I’m glad I had the chance to do that too.
Three reasons why Piece of Cake took the time to invest in Brand Image
1. Brand image matters a lot – it makes an impression
We all know that making a good first impression is important, especially in business. Whilst we get some work through word of mouth we also know that clients and potential clients will create an impression of Piece of Cake based on a variety of factors such as our website, business cards and more. It may seem superficial, but these small details are all brand touchpoints for people – and how things are presented really matters.
2. Brand image shows how you think about the big picture
We spent a lot of time working on the details of our brand – developing our logo, the colours, patterns and brand assets and on figuring out how everything fits together to tell a story. We thought about how everything could be used in different ways and across different marketing channels. Thinking about the big picture was important from the start. We believed that it would help clients to see that we are a safe pair of hands to work with and that we can take a step back and understand both brand strategy and how to deliver it.
3. Brand image provides credibility and recognition in the marketplace
Building and maintaining a stable and consistent brand image contributes to the way that clients feel about working with you and allows them to recognise you in the marketplace. The touchpoints that clients have with you need to be consistent and the colours, logos, fonts etc not only need to be recognisable so clients know that they are talking to you, but they also need to reflect who you are, what you do and what you stand for.