Building Iconic Brands: What Makes Your Brand Stick?
Last week was the inaugural Dieline Package Design Conference and as I listened to some of the industry’s best discuss success stories and methods for tackling the “right” way for a brand to connect with consumers, I noticed there was an underlying theme present in many of the presentations: tell a story.
In her presentation, Moira Cullen, Senior Director of Global Design at The Hershey Company, discussed her success in working with 3 iconic brands. The three main ingredients of an iconic brand?
1) Strong cultural roots. If heritage is "history with a future," then your brand should be sure to showcase it has it. Heritage and authenticity are signs of success and receive recognition and respect.
2) Distinct characteristics. What makes your brand special, sets it apart? What is its essence, what we call the brand "soul," and what are the elements of the brand that represent these characteristics?
3) Compelling stories. Combining the first two points, tell the brand's story. Be relatable by communicating who the brand is, who it represents and be real by sharing the story of its origins, how it came to be. Return to this story always -- it is the heart of the brand -- and make it clear. As heard at the conference, ambiguity more than often leads to negativity.
Which leads me to a fourth piece (mentioned throughout the conference though not necessarily included in the "formula of success")...
Cohesion. Building cohesion, culture, community. Making the story of your brand so clear and believing in it so strongly it becomes a part of your (and everyone else's) DNA. Realizing what it means for every touchpoint, every level from the company boardroom to the mailroom to retail to consumers. Cohesion so that everyone feels like a part of the brand. It's the glue, what really makes the brand come together and stick.
This idea of building cohesion makes me think of another iconic brand that presented at The Dieline Conference: Starbucks. An image taken during the launch of its new logo was shared with the audience. Everyone in the company left their thumbprint on the mark, and what a wonderful story it now tells.
