One of the reasons of keeping Le Monturé as a name is that it helps me distinguish myself from the rest of cliché names. Name is the first thing you hear when someone or something is introduced. Interesting names play as an ice breaker when you meet someone for the first time.
The following is my perspective on naming a product, company and eventually creating a brand!
Naming a company and having a logo is not that matters, what is more important is creating a brand. This quote by Elon Musk (the real world Tony Stark), founder at Tesla, PayPal puts the term brand in the right perspective
Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time. Sometimes it will be ahead, other times it will be behind. But brand is simply a collective impression some have about a product.
Branding helps us to become memorable, stand out from the crowd and last but not the least connecting with customers / users. So how do we make the brand memorable? To make a brand memorable you need a good design, a good story, a unique personality and good knowledge of customers
Design
A good design should not have many colours and it has to be simple and easy to identify. Don’t get too obsessed or fuss over it. Use the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid 🙂 ) approach.
Nike, McDonalds, Apple and our very own Tata & Make in India logos are pretty simple and straight forward. It has a great brand recall value.
Story
Build a great story behind the brand. Human brain has a thing for good stories and helps in retaining the attributes of a brand. Let’s look at some of the approaches.
The PSS (Problem, Solution & Success) approach is mainly sales focused as we are addressing a problem. Dropbox’s founder, was tired of forgetting his USB (problem) so he thought of a cloud-based file hosting system that would solve his problem (solution). When Dropbox was launched, we already had similar products from Google & Microsoft, but what worked in Dropbox’s favour was the simple design and interface.
The Underdog approach helps to build an emotional connect towards your product. It works when your product is pitted against the market leaders and you have a unique value proposition to counter it. Snapchat launched with a clear target of fighting privacy invading networks like Facebook who store everything in their database. Here the no storing of customer data was a unique value proposition and the users immediately lapped it up.
Personality
Just like humans have personality, brands have personality too. All the brands are defined by one of the archetypes which are listed below:
Magicians are visionary organizations or people who believe in synchronicity, serendipity, miracles, and mind over matter. Eg: Axe
The Caregiver Archetype is compassionate, loyal, and generous. Passion and purpose come from service, sacrifice, and putting others first. Eg: Dove
The secret of a Hero Archetype is who they are, not what they do. In fact, they don’t even think of themselves as heroes at all. Eg: Nike
Explorer brands understand that there are no limits to becoming and no end to learning. Eg: Virgin
Innocents believe life is simple, uncomplicated and good. Whether it’s childlike or mystical, this archetype has deep variety. Eg: Disney
Go ahead and stand on your head. Jesters are allowed to bend the rules and this allows them to see things from a fresh perspective and engage out-of-the box thinking. Eg: Ben & Jerry’s
Revolutionary Archetypes do things radically differently, on purpose. They bring an energetic willingness to weed through the clutter and challenge the status quo. Eg: Apple
Ruler Archetypes know how to get things done. They enjoy leadership roles and act in a commanding, authoritative manner. Eg: Microsoft
The Sage Archetype has faith in humankind’s ability to learn and grow, to make smarter decisions. Eg: Harvard University
Inherently non-conformist, the Creator Archetype is expert at seeing the big picture and rearranging pieces to craft meaning. Eg: Lego
The Lover Archetype is connected by something deeper. They inherently understand the power of affection and emotions. Eg: Hallmark
The Everyperson Archetype represents the common man and woman. Think of the village green, democracy or a comfortable group where everyone fits in. Eg: Amazon
Source: https://www.allegorystudios.com/magician-archetype/
Knowing your customer
This is the most critical aspect when it comes to branding. If you don’t know what’s memorable to your customer, than you cannot create a memorable brand. The best way to know what your customer needs is to do a one on one interview or do a market survey on similar products / services.
Hope this post helps you in creating a memorable brand. Let me know your thoughts and stories of your journey in building a brand.
(Sajid is a consultant & advisor to SMEs & startups. You can follow him on @sajidkhetani)
This article was originally published here