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Branding: Mike Goulian.com
Did you know that Black Flies have branded themselves in NH, VT, and Maine? That’s right: these pesky flies have earned their status as a “season” up here… directly following “Mud Season.”
How do they do this?
Consistency of message and focus. Beginning EVERY Mother’s Day and ending around Father’s Day, they strive to buzz our heads and bite so incessantly that many folks have countered by wearing beehive nets when they go out for a stroll. Joggers seem extra motivated to outpace the maximum flight velocity attained by these critters.
Every year at this exact time the Black Flies make their presence known… so consistent is the message that they have branded themselves into the minds of each and every one of us here.
Last issue we discussed some important lessons learned regarding the habits of online shoppers. This issue we look at the branding part of getting your customers to remember you for a specific product or service.
Make Your Own Golden Arches
“Branding” means creating a collusion of images, words, sounds, smells, sensations and themes that speak directly and precisely about a particular business or product.
A prime example of branding would be the Golden Arches. I’d be willing to bet that just about everyone reading this not only thinks but also smells McDonald’s french fries, which is exactly the intended outcome. Every commercial on TV, every bit of packaging for the food they produce contains those ubiquitous Golden Arches. Many children will recognize Ronald McDonald before even George Washington. This is what continuity and consistency of branding will create.
One of our clients here at the Complete Website is professional aerobatics pilot Michael Goulian. Michael takes branding very seriously and is meticulous about that continuity. Recently, Castrol Aviation became a major sponsor of Michael’s and his plane has been repainted to reflect the Castrol brand colors. As a result, his website, www.mikegoulian.com, is undergoing a similar transformation. Older images of the formerly red and blue plane are being replaced with images of the new plane with its new paint job. The base color of the website has become Castrol green. Michael’s flight suit now reflects the Castrol colors and the green continues to spread throughout all of Michael’s airshow program.
While most businesses will not have as many individual elements to maintain, this same attention to detail, no matter how many or few details there are, will serve to “create” that business brand. Now, when people who have visited Michael’s site and seen his show go to the hardware store, Castrol will pop out at them from the shelf as a recognizable brand. Its logo placement on Michael’s flight suit and on his plane offers Castrol return on its sponsorship dollar by creating a connection for the consumer from an enjoyable airshow to an accessible product. “If Castrol likes Michael’s show well enough to sponsor him - and Michael trusts it enough to use it - then it must be a product worth using.” That’s what Castrol wants the consumer to take away from the sponsorship. It all links together. Similarly… seeing the Golden Arches causes you to crave those french fries.
How can your own company utilize branding and create that same sort of return on investment?
Branding starts with the most basic of elements, like a color, logo, shape or even a font. Each marketing piece - on the web, paper, signs, newspaper ads etc. - should maintain a consistent use of one or more of those elements. Using different logos for different marketing approaches undercuts each piece’s effectiveness. When in doubt, go with repetition. In a world of constant sensory bombardment through radio, TV, movies, magazines and more, the strongest competitors have the most consistent presentation. Since websites are many times marketing driven we often find ourselves in the middle of branding discussions. Please contact us if you would like some finely tuned thoughts on strengthening your own brand!
