Brand Corporate Identity | Task 1: Breaking Brand

23.09.2024 - 07.10.2024 / Week 1 - Week 3

Khu Ying Ying / 0357306

Brand Corporate Identity / MKT62404 / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Task 1: Breaking Brand

LECTURES

Week 1 (25/09/2024) Introduction

Week 1 (25/09/2024) Brand

Week 1 (25/09/2024) Types of Marks

Week 1 (26/09/2024) Brand Ideals

Week 1 (26/09/2024) Positioning

INSTRUCTIONS

TASK 1: BREAKING BRAND

Week 1 (23/09/2024) Grouping & Research

Week 2 (30/09/2024) Google Slides

Week 3 (06/10/2024) Final Submission of Task 1

FEEDBACKS

REFLECTIONS

FURTHER READING

QUICK LINKS

LECTURES

Week 1 (25/09/2024)

Introduction

Brand Corporate Identity:

Focuses on the visual integrity of a brand.
The identity of the brands that you created is centered around the symbol/mark/word, which symbolises a relationship of an idea.

In short, focus on understanding feedback, not just chasing grades. In job interviews, your work matters more than certificates. Good feedback leads to quality work. Make good use of your time and arrange the task at hand.

Week 1 (25/09/2024)

Brand

Brand:

Derives from the Old Norse word "brandr"/"to burn", which refers to the practice of branding livestock.

Norse is a language of Norwegian (Norway).

It's about building client trust and loyalty through actions and stories while embracing your company's values and admitting to mistakes.
A mental construct shared by society about a product/service/organisation/person.

e.g. The word "Apple" instantly brings to mind Apple Inc. products, thanks to their strong branding, even without the trademark symbol.

Figure L2.1: The Term of "Apple", Week 1 (25/09/2024)

Brand Identity:

The collection of all elements that a company creates to portray the right image to its consumers.

Branding:

The process of giving a meaning to specific organisation/companies/products/services by creating and shaping a brand in consumers actively.
A strategy used by organisations to encourage customers to pick their products.

e.g. Shock value may not always work in visual communication, but it guarantees that the audience will remember it.

Figure L2.2: "Be Stupid" Campaign by Desiel, Week 1 (25/09/2024)

Branding Can Be Achieved Through:

Brand definition:

Purpose, values, and promise.

Brand positioning statement:

Company expertise, target audience, and the benefits of the brand.

Brand identity:

Name, tone of voice, and visual identity design (logo design/colour palette/typography).

Advertising and communications:

TV, radio, and magazines.

Product design,
Sponsoring and partnerships.
In-store experience.
Workspace experience and management style.
Customer service.
Pricing strategy.

Benefits of Branding:

Helps to stand out in a saturated market.
Gives credibility.
A clear brand lets you charge what you're worth.
Customer loyalty.
Returning customers and referrals.
Consistency.
Attract the ideal clients.
Save money and time.
Gives confidence in the business.
Easier to introduce new products/services.
Gives a clear strategy to move forward.

Designer's Role in Branding:

Give form to the content, strategy, and messaging through:

Good research on the history of the client and product, and understanding the target market and more.
Development of a trademark.

Week 1 (25/09/2024)

Types of Marks

Logo:

Short for logotype.

Logo refers to all marks that represent a brand.
Logotype/wordmark is a logo centered around a company name/initials.
Logomark is a logo centered around a symbolic image/icon.
Signature/combination mark is a combination of a word and a symbol.

Figure L3.1: Examples for Logos, Week 1 (25/09/2024)

Monogram:

A motif made by overlapping/combining two/more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol.

Grapheme is a letter/many letters that represent a sound (phoneme) in a word.

The original Greek meaning refers to a 'single line,' indicating something written/drawn in outline.
Often made by combining the initials of an individual/a company.

Figure L3.2: Examples for Monogram, Week 1 (25/09/2024)

Heraldry:

Encompassing the design, display, and study of armorial bearings/armory, and the study of ceremony, rank, and pedigree.

Crest is a distinctive device representing a family/corporate body, borne above the shield of a coat of arms.
Coat of Arms is a distinctive heraldic bearing/shield of a person/family/corporation/country.
Insignia is a distinguishing badge/'emblem' of an organisation's military rank/office/membership.

Figure L3.3: Examples for Heraldry, Week 1 (25/09/2024)

Mark:

When it combines with another word, it signifies ownership/identification.
Represent the quality, ability, and skill levels of its creators.

Trademark (™) is a symbol/word/words legally registered by use as representing a company/product, and legal protection against intellectual property infringement/theft.
Service mark (℠) is a trademark used in the US and several other countries to identify a service rather than a product.
Registered trademark (®) replaces unregistered marks (™ & ℠) once a sign/design/expression is officially recognized for identifying products/services from a specific source.

Week 1 (26/09/2024)

Brand Ideals

Brand Ideal:

A higher purpose of a brand/organisation that goes beyond the product/service they sell.
Ideals are key to a responsible creative process, no matter the company's size/business type:

Vision:

Hearing the vision face to face is critical to the identity process.
Value storytelling to build the culture and brands.

Meaning:

Designers transform meaning into unique visual form and expression.
All elements of the brand identity system should have a framework that stands for meaning and logic.

Authenticity:

Not possible without and oragnisation having clarity about its market, positioning, value proposition, and competitive difference.
Refers to self-knowledge and making congruent decisions.
Brand expression must be appropriate to the organisation's unique mission, history, culture, values, and personality.

Differentiation:

Brand needs to demonstrate differences so customer would understand easily what makes them so.

Sustainability:

The ability to have longevity in an environment in constant flux and characterised by future permutations that no one can predict.
Is achieved through a commitment to the equity of a central idea over time.

Coherence:

Whenever a customer experience a brand it must feel familiar and have the desired effect.
A baseline designed to build trust, foster loyalty, and delight the customer.
The identity system advances immediate recognition of the company and supports brand attributes across various media.

e.g. Designed colours, typeface families, and formats.

Flexibility:

An effective brand identity positions a company for change and growth in the future.
Supports and evolves strategy.
The brand identity toolbox encourages creativity within parameters that always keep the brand immediately recognisable.

Commitment:

Organisations need to ensure all people engaged with the brand have complete motivation and dedication for it to succeed.

Value:

Measurable results need to be created that promote and sustain the brand.

Brand Value:

Deliver real engagement and direct towards more powerful bonds with the target audience.
The best examples reflect customer ideology while embracing the business's passions.

Week 1 (26/09/2024)

Positioning

Positioning:

The process of positioning a brand in the minds of the customers.
Refers to a positioning strategy/brand strategy/brand positioning statement.
Strategy is a long-term plan and influences the positioning of the brand.

e.g. Volvo's focus on safety made it the top choice for families but unintentionally gave the brand an unappealing, less "sex appeal", affecting its appeal for other products.

Figure L5.1: Volvo's Positioning, Week 1 (26/09/2024)

4 Different Types/Styles of Positioning:

Arm Wrestling:

Try to take on the market leader and beat them at their own game, it is possible if there is a well-established market category without a clear leader.
Takes lots of money and time.

e.g. Coke and Pepsi.

Big Fish, Smaller Pond:

A niche market within a larger market that is being underserved, where there is a larger player who's not meeting a specific need.
Plus point is the audience has a frame of reference; the downside is the market leader could match your offer.

e.g. Maccentric vs Mac.

Reframe The Market:

Makes the benefits highlighted by the previous market leaders irrelevant/frankly/boring.
It works if the product/service features innovation or there's a change in market need/expectation.

e.g. Apple/Tesla/Pandemic.

Change The Game:

When there's no market category for what you do, you're the first of the kind to invent the market.
Advantage is being the default market leader.
Without strong protections like patents or copyrights, competitors can easily copy your idea and outpace you before you're fully established.

e.g. Uber and Grab.

Positioning vs Differentiation:

Positioning:

A strategic process that marketers use to determine the place/"niche" an offering should occupy in a given market.
Can be subtle and hard to detect.

Differentiation:

A process the company uses to make a product/service stand out from its competitors.
It comes into play whenever you choose between two products in the same category.

If You Can Answer These Questions, You Have A Brand (Neumeier, 2003):

Who are you?
What do you do?
What does it matter?

7 Key Steps To Effectively Clarify Your Positioning In The Marketplace (Bueno, 2019):

Determine how your brand is currently positioning itself.
Identify your direct competitors.
Understand how each competitor is positioning their brand.
Compare your positioning to your competitors to identify your uniqueness.
Develop a distinct and value-based positioning idea.
Craft a brand positioning statement.
Test the efficacy of your brand positioning statement.

How To Create A Brand Positioning Statement (Bueno, 2019):

Target customer.
Market definition.
Brand promise.
Reason to believe.

With a strong brand positioning statement, you can create a tagline/slogan that reinforces your desired image.

INSTRUCTIONS

TASK 1: BREAKING BRAND

Week 1 (23/09/2024)

Requirements:

Form a group with 4-5 people before doing the research.
Select an existing brand, preferably a large brand with a regional/international presence for analysis. Then, follow the outline/framework that is provided in this task:

A) Brand Profile

1. Description

1.1 Summary Description
1.2 Target Market/Audience
1.3 The Offer
1.4 Specific Benefits

2. Brand Value

2.1 Retailer's Perspective
2.2 Customer's Perspective

3. Brand Positioning

3.1 Why This Brand & Not Competition
3.2 How it Positions itself towards the Target Market
3.3 Who is the Competition

4. Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

B) Expanded Brand Profile

1. Description

1.1 Founder
1.2 Location
1.3 Logo/Logo evolution
1.4 etc

2. Benefits
3. Target Market/Audience

3.1 Geographic Segmentation
3.2 Demographic Segmentation
3.3 Psychographic Segmentation
3.4 Behavioural Segmentation

4. Competitive Differentiation
5. Pricing
6. Distribution
7. Brand's Positioning Statement
8. Brand's Voice
9. Brand's Communication Strategy

Submissions:

Group: Finish the research in the Google Doc.
Individual: Submit the work using Google Slides, remember to convert it into PDF.

Progress:

Grouping & Research

This week in class, Ms. Lilian asked us to form groups of 4-5. After getting into our groups, we discussed which brand we would like to analyse by answering the framework questions outlined in the MIB. My group members were:

Khu Ying Ying (Me)
Qian Guoyi
Lin Chenyi
Wang Zhiwei
Wu Ziyang

After the discussion, we decided to analysis about "Chanel". My assigned task is to work on:

A) Brand Profile - 3. Positioning, 4. Unique Selling Proposition
B) Expanded Brand Profile - 9. Brand Communication Strategy

Figure T1.1: Group Research - "Chanel" (PDF), Week 2 (30/09/2024)

Week 2 (30/09/2024)

Google Slides

After completing our group analysis, each of us created individual slides. The task required us to convert the documents into visually engaging Google Slides for presentation.

Figure T1.2: Converting Documents in Google Slides, Week 2 (30/09/2024)

Week 3 (06/10/2024)

Final Submission of Task 1: Breaking Brand

Figure T1.3: Final Submission of Task 1 - Breaking Brand (PDF), Week 3 (06/10/2024)

FEEDBACKS

Week 1 (23/09/2024)

Specific Feedback: Proceed to do the research "Chanel" (after selecting the brand) in a group and show it to Ms Lilian in Week 2.

General Feedback: Create a file on Google Drive (Name, Student ID). Then, upload your progression in your respective folders.

Week 4 (14/10/2024)

Specific Feedback: Somewhat able to summarise information with heavy reliance on research. Room for improvement in the inclusion of more visual examples as seen via research on the brand’s communication strategy framework.

General Feedback: Commendable look at both target audience and target market. An inaccurate study of benefits in that it should not encompass the product but the brand itself. Similarly, behavioural segmentation of the target audience is not accurate (it should be on the audience, not the brand). Overall, able to flesh out the framework given with some information that is more accurate than others. Reflects an understanding of the given framework especially visible in research that was accurately done.

REFLECTIONS

Experience

This was my first time learning about brand identity. I discovered that a brand's identity revolves around symbols, marks, or words, which represent an idea or relationship. There are various types of logos, including wordmarks, combination marks, and pictorial marks.

Observation

I observed that the simplicity of a logo plays a significant role in brand recognition. Brands with well-designed logos tend to stand out and form stronger connections with customers.

Findings

For future presentations, incorporating more visual examples and condensing the text into bullet points or shorter sentences would make the content more engaging and visually appealing.

FURTHER READING

Market Segmentation

Market Segmentation

Brands divide their target market into smaller, manageable segments based on shared characteristics to tailor marketing messages for better engagement and effectiveness.

Types of Market Segmentation

Geographic Segmentation

Target customers based on geographic boundaries (cities, states, countries) to acknowledge differences and tailor advertising.
e.g. McDonald's adapts its menu to local preferences, like offering McSpaghetti in the Philippines.

Figure FR1.1: McSpaghetti in the Philippines, Week 3 (11/10/2024)

Demographic Segmentation

Divides the market by age, gender, education, family size, occupation, ethnicity, income, and more to target products that meet specific demographic needs.
e.g. Lululemon offers athletic clothing for adult men and women while also catering to girls aged 6 to 15.

Figure FR1.2: Lululemon for Kids, Week 3 (11/10/2024)

Psychographic Segmentation

Focuses on target customer attributes like values, personalities, interests, lifestyles, and motivations to create a holistic view of consumers.
e.g. Starbucks offers chocolate milk, frappuccinos, and granola bars to cater to diverse preferences beyond coffee.

Figure FR1.3: Starbucks Types of Drinks, Week 3 (11/10/2024)

Behavioural Segmentation

Focuses on customer reactions and their decision-making processes to encourage purchases and foster brand loyalty.
e.g. Sephora's rewards program allows customers to earn points for spending, which can be redeemed for generous samples.

Figure FR1.4: Sephora Rewards Program, Week 3 (11/10/2024)

Importance of Market Segmentation

Customer Retention

Cohesive segments improve customer retention.
75% of customers switch brands after one bad experience.
52% share dissatisfaction, discouraging others.
Market segmentation helps prevent negative experiences.
Tailored messaging boosts engagement and loyalty.

Grow Your Business

Market segmentation helps to reach current and new customers.
In-depth analysis reveals unmet needs or problems your brand can solve.
This can lead to new product lines, rebrands, or brands, driving business growth.

Lower Spend Rate

Speaking to customers correctly improves efficiency and saves money.
Proper segmentation ensures your marketing efforts hit the mark every time.

How to Do Market Segmentation

Define Your Target Market

Ask yourself essential questions, such as whether the market is small or large, if there is demand for the product or service, and who the competitors are.

Segment Your Market

Determine which segment or combination of segments to target.

Understand Each Market Segment

Conduct primary research with discussions, polls, and surveys to identify group needs and create customer personas for effective targeting.

Create Customers Segments

Analyse the findings from the previous step to create your final customer segments.

Test Your Marketing Strategy

Test the marketing strategy with campaigns or A/B tests to evaluate effectiveness, and adjust the strategy as needed.

Common Market Segmentation Mistakes

Creating Too Small of Segments

Overly narrow segments can reduce buying power and lead to non-quantifiable metrics.
You can't appeal to every unique individual.

Not Updating Your Strategy as Your Customer Base Changes

Regularly refresh your strategy as customer preferences change.
Choose a refresh cycle that fits your business (quarterly, yearly, or as needed).

Targeting The Segment Instead of The Money

Segmenting a large customer base requires buying power and genuine demand for positive ROI (Return on Investment).
Recognizing common segmentation mistakes helps your team avoid pitfalls.

References:

Tow, H. (2023, April 12). What Is Market Segmentation? Importance For Your Business. https://learn.g2.com/market-segmentation

QUICK LINKS

Projects

Task 1: Breaking Brand

Task 2: Logo

Task 3: Positioning & Identity

Task 4: Brand Guideline

Final Compilation

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Khu Ying Ying (0357306)