The Beauty & the Brawn: Branding strategies that look & feel great, while also doing the heavy lifting of building awareness
Branding is a lot of fun and holds a whole host of potential for businesses who do it well. Branding differs from advertising in that it tends not to be as product or sales-forward. Fun, unique branding strategies can help build a sense of trust and likeability with your consumers, which can go a long way in positioning you favourably when they do decide to buy.
In our fast-paced world, there are constantly new branding trends you can take advantage of to get noticed and earn low-key yet powerful notoriety with potential customers. We’re not suggesting all the branding tactics below are easy to pull off, but that’s why you work with genius creatives and super strategists. Together, we can be like Pinky and the Brain – trying to take over the world, one kickass branding venture at a time.
PS. we are not Pinky in this analogy – sorry Narf sorry!
- Branded visual content that claps
We are living in the whirlwind of a visual world – one that opens up countless opportunities for branding strategies that simultaneously look fab and build awareness. Put your brand on content people will readily engage with and (politely) insert yourself into their lives, without overtly salesy positioning. Use branded memes, original hashtags and interesting infographics to spread like wildfire across the Gram, Book or TikTok.
Whether you want to inspire mompreneurs by hopping on the #MondayMotivation train or to get down with dads #doingtheirbest, you and your brand can be the talk of the virtual town. What’s important is that your branded visual content makes sense for your specific mission/vision before you set them free upon the digital landscape. While we can’t promise every branded post you create will go viral like the Corona Virus (…too soon?), there is a lot of potential to show up authentically on your target audiences’ radar. Best of all, if you do branded content the right way, other people will do all the heavy lifting for you, as they like and share your post, so more of their pals see it.
- Really quirky, non-traditional brand creative
Who says neutrals and simplistic, straight-edge designs own the branding nest? After two years of isolation BS, we are all sick of the clinical and cold. Show your consumers you put the fun in funky with some wild branding exercises that include intense colours, bold fonts and fun imagery.
We previously explored cool visual techniques that are taking the creative world by storm. Part of their appeal is that they depart from the straight and narrow to introduce theatrics back into the world of design. Now is not the time to be afraid of contrasts or incorporating real artistry into your branding. Be bold like Banksy and use the power of imagery to say something that matters. This content will be more shareable than some stale stock design that you could easily swap hundreds of other brands into.
- Create immersive branding experiences
Websites have come along way. Now, many skilled web designers are starting to create platforms that mimic video game-esque elements to pull online users into a whole new realm of branding. Immersive online experiences can be anything from allowing users to customize their interactions with a “Choose your own adventure” type approach through to allowing them to try on accessories or “unwrapping” various parts of a site with strategic clicks.
The key to this unique online approach is to ensure it’s done well. Make it make sense to your audiences and do not allow the complexity of the venture to outstrip its usability. Ensure your audiences know what the hell their doing and that they don’t go so far down the rabbit hole they forget to convert into customers.
- Building on the immersive branding technique, try to pour some real thought & authentic awesome into tactical experiences
Immersive branding works because people want to feel part of something. They get excited about being able to control, contribute to and customize their personal branding experience. More than just creating this sensation online, you can extend this fun into real life events. Create seamless tactile branded encounters by giving your consumers thoughtful promotional products they can earn by playing games or otherwise engaging with your brand.
Be it AR at a tradeshow or something as simple as giving away products for customers who demonstrate curiosity about your differentiating factors, by putting something meaningful in their hands, people are more likely to quite literally feel some type of way about your company.
- High-impact sponsorship is making a comeback
Remember when the world went to hell and all the events we once loved bit the dust and along with them basically all opportunities for sponsorship? Well, now our ability to bump up against one another at overcrowded events is BACK and this is presenting renewed leases on life for brands who want to take a stand in the stands.
To work, sponsorship needs to make sense for your brand. Do not sponsor an event, person or team that has nothing to do with what you hope to contribute to people’s lives. If your target audiences don’t care about sports, neither should you, unless it’s to cheer on your kids at little league. Think strategically about sponsorship and ensure the options you seize make sense in terms of brand consistency, values and messaging.
Get creative with custom jerseys, billboards with eye-catching imagery and comedic copy. Sponsor out-of-the-box individuals – like influencers who haven’t already maxed out all their influence. You don’t have to break the bank to build out sponsorship opportunities that have a good return. Rather, you need to be thoughtful about where you throw your sponsorship dollars and how you max out the fruits of that spend.
Modern branding boasts some truly magnificent opportunities for businesses who are not afraid to get their hands dirty.
More specifically, businesses who are willing to let award-winning creative marketing firms get their hands dirty on their behalf and come up with novel branding ideas. If you want to learn more about how CR Creative can support you to take advantage of today’s best branding trends or full-on create our own, reach out to us. We’re always happy to get our hands as dirty as our minds, so we can make big statements for the brands we serve.
