By Mark Alison
If you are asking this question you are in good company. Not everyone knows the difference. Even people in the business get it confused. We find that there are graphic designers, web development companies and others that claim to do branding but they really mean logo design. Then there are clients who talk about their logo when they are really reflecting on their brand. So what is the difference? Here’s the answer using two points of view; the consumer and the company.
First, BRAND – For the consumer – Think of a company you do business with, any company, but preferably one with which you are very familiar. What is your gut feel about them? How would you summarize them to a friend? When you put those feelings into words, you have articulated their brand, as it relates to you. Let’s assume you chose APPLE Corp. They do a good job of brand management. The expectation you have when you think about APPLE products is the essence of the brand. While brand perception is always from the consumer point of view, it must be managed based on the company’s goals.
OK, same question but this time the brand is BMW? They also provide a nicely articulated impression about their brand. In fact BMW goes so far as to make, what we refer to as, a brand promise. “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” More than just a slogan, it drives (pun intended) their marketing. This is part of their brand messaging and they don’t stray from this central theme in any of their communication.
LOGO – What about the logo? First off, the logo is not the brand. In fact consumers may not be familiar with a company’s logo but still be attracted to a brand of products. For example you like Cheerios but don’t look for the General Mills logo when purchasing. It also works the other way around. You see a logo that looks cool aesthetically but other than that, it has no real attraction. That’s because you are not familiar with what the logo represents. In other words you are not familiar with the brand, meaning you have no gut feel for the product or company.
BRAND and LOGO – For the company – Your brand is the sum total of what your customers think about the company. It is their impression, experience, knowledge and perceptions all taken together. As a result, it is an ever-evolving entity meaning change can be driven by outside forces. A good example of that is the recent VW scandal. VW is doing all it can to restore the brand luster following the emissions revelation, and they will, but while they manage the public brand perception, they are not likely to change the company logo. That’s because the logo is simply “one of the elements” of the brand. It is what is called a “shortcut” to the brand expectation.
Here’s an example. When we are thirsty for a Coke, we desire the taste that our array of brand expectations have come to anticipate. The logo is the visual shortcut we take to find the drink or machine that dispenses our expectation.
We say we want a Coke but we don’t drink the logo. But, because a logo is more tangible it is quickly identified as a place to start when a company wants to rebrand or change. That may be premature. The change needs to happen first at the brand level – remember, “brand” is the customer perception, gut feel and expectation. That change at the brand level can then contribute to the design of the logo, i.e., the tangible expression. Unfortunately logos are often designed before the brand presence has matured meaning the logo comes first and the strategy follows so brand strategy is erroneously created around the logo. This leads to a disconnect between the two and confusion for the customer.
The brand and logo have to go hand in hand so the creative mind that designs the logo is inspired by the clarity and explanation of the brand that has been created to support it. Here’s a visual – If the brand is an iceberg, the logo is the tip of the iceberg, the part people see above the waterline. Taking the time to work on the support before you expose the tip requires discipline and sometimes that is best managed by an experienced, outside source that is not “married” to the company.
It’s not unusual for a company to “freshen up” the brand or do a re-branding. They are either responding to current consumer attitudes or remaking themselves to more successfully tap into the market(s) they (want to) serve. Yes it can be painful at first but it has a very big upside when done well, motivating customers, employees and sales.
When the brand and the logo are in harmony, it resonates throughout the company’s communication tools, be they advertising, PR, Internet or something as simple as a business card. And when that happens, every dollar spent becomes an investment in growing the business.