Brand from the corner of your eye...

A quick note on brand — I was chatting with a client about brand and they liked this comparison so I thought I would share it with you on my blog. Although this can be applied to almost any business or organization, I'm going to focus on retail because it's the most apparent and visible application of brand identity.

Anyone could mention the name of stores like Target, Nordstrom, Walmart or Pennys — any department stores. However, just the name of each store most likely brought an immediate feeling or impression to mind of the company including price point, product quality and environment. Stores like Nordstrom, famous for their high quality customer service and products, brings images of high-end quality, elegance and sophistication to mind. Of coarse there is a price tag that goes along with it.

On the other end of the spectrum the name Walmart invokes thoughts like savings, deals, low prices. Both have positive and negative links for different people. My guess is, you can probably drive by one of these stores and without even looking at them directly, just out of the corner of your eye, identify who it is by the colors, size, shape and style of their signs and building as well as the surrounding environment.

So the questions I posed to my client and to you — is, "what impression does your company or organization have on your market?” Do you have the same brand awareness and identity? Is your brand negative or positive? Are people confused about what it is you do or offer?
All of these brands have one thing in common — they all have a strong brand identity program in place. One last question, "What kind of impact would this level of brand identity have on your company or organization?