Who can define branding? (the same way twice)

The concept of branding may be one of the most talked about, misunderstood, and debated topic in the world of communications. To some it means creative collateral, advertising, logos or slogans.

I've been looking around for resources that describe what branding is really about. Even as of a year ago I thought branding was a good logo that was used correctly. I found an article (which I can't seem to find on a webpage anywhere and is copyrighted so I won't reproduce it) where Roland Jacobs is being interviewed by CZ Marketing. Roland is the managing director of Aprire!One, a branding agency specializing in church branding.

In the article Roland breaks down branding to a key message that directly reflects your mission. The brand is in the message and every touch point you have is part of that message.

So it isn't the creative although that supports it. It's about taking a clear look at the mission of your organization and determining how to convey that message to your audience. You can immediately recognize when a company is doing that poorly, their message seems frayed. If you can't quickly identify what you at least think they are about then there's a problem with the message.

Volvo seems to be a great example of good branding. What are they about? Safety right? I went to the Volvo cars USA site and the first text I saw was "The luxury car that treats life like the greatest luxury of all." They have clearly defined who they are and everything they do supports that.

Creative is a huge part of what a brand is. A great design can inspire feelings and emotions that can't be conveyed through a text tagline. Supporting your message with graphics is important. What if Volvo told me they were about safety but had a cheap pixelated website. I'm going to think they make cheap cars and they've lost my consumer faith.

To see some of the article I've been reading check out the links to CZ and Aspire!One.