Brand Culture Overview

Brand Culture

• Branded organizations can manage cultural assets to create deeper meaning for employees and customers.
• Brand culture evolves as the corporate brand grows and develops.
• A well-managed brand culture can be a valuable asset.
• Poor culture and the lack of values can lead to brand failure.

Brand Culture Components

• History: The origins of the brand.
• Ethos: The ideology and values of the brand.
• Language: How the brand communicates.
• People: The community behind the brand.
• Leadership: The brand's champion.
• Traditions: Unique behaviors connected with the brand.
• Sensations: The 5 senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste).
• Physical Elements: Buildings, environment, and interior design.

I - History

• Sharing brand history through word-of-mouth across generations builds deeper meaning and attracts a wider audience.
• A compelling story of the brand's origins and motivations improves its visibility and understanding.

Consideration for Writing a Big Story

• A good brand story should be simple and credible.
• Emotional connection and a surprise element can make the story more impactful.

Ethos

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a critical policy for all large organizations.
• A strong ethos unites the organization under a common goal.
• Strong ethos builds long-term relationships with customers who share similar interests.
• An example in the fishing industry could be focused on cleaner oceans

Consideration for Brand Ethos

• Brand ethos should meet expectations.
• Reflect brand personality.
• Delivered through purpose, mission, and values

3 - Language

• Brand language is the vocabulary used to express brand identity.
• It creates consistency in brand expression.
• Word choice, including the brand name and logo, conveys identity.
• The strapline is crucial for verbal expression and reflects values.
• Powerful words embody the brand's essence.

Consideration for Brand Language

• Brand language should reflect brand personality.
• Be relevant and consistent.
• Align with brand signature.
• And reflect audience characteristics

4 - People

• Compelling brands cultivate their own communities.
• Strong brand cultures create lifestyle choices.
• Brands with meaning become integral parts of people's lives.
• Successful brands attract specific types of employees and customers.

Consideration for People (Brand Community)

• Identify target audience interests for stronger connection
• Organize events or sponsor related activities.
• Build brand communities around these activities.

5 - Leadership

• Strong brands thrive under bold, accountable leadership.
• Brand champions motivate employees, customers, suppliers, and stakeholders to achieve common goals.

6 - Traditions

• Brands can create their own traditions, which can be very beneficial for recognition
• Some brands leverage traditions tied to seasonal occasions.

Consideration for Brand Traditions

• Brand traditions should reinforce the brand vision.
• Be in-line with brand values and brand personality.
• Be relevant

7 - Sensations

• Each sense contributes to a complete experience.
• Brand experiences can be enhanced by identifying and leveraging each sense.

Sight

• Brands are recognizable at a distance via color and form.
• Packaging is a key sight element.

Consideration for Brand Packaging

• Differentiation is crucial for packaging.
• Increase brand awareness.
• Strengthen brand identity.

Sound

• Sounds help build a subconscious brand experience.
• The brand identity can be enhanced through music and sounds.

Touch

• Touch conveys brand feeling and characteristics.
• Luxury products often leverage the feel and texture.

Smell

• Smell has a significant effect on brand perception.
• Consider using smells to enhance specific brand feelings

Taste

• Taste is less prevalent outside of food and beverage industries.
• Positive tastes create value and welcome.
• Negative tastes create frustration and carelessness.

Intuition

• Intuition strongly influences purchasing decisions.
• Understanding how a consumer feels about a brand is important
• Authentic brands evoke gut feelings

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• Advertisements can leverage sensations to create better experiences

8 - Physical Elements

• Brand culture is often reflected in physical spaces such as buildings, interiors, and design layouts.
• Brand experience is deeply affected by physical elements
• The design of a product or service can be unique.

Next Step

• Brands continuously build upon their identities.
• Growth and evolution of an organization reinforce their distinct culture.
• Organizations leave behind evidence of their distinct existence.