Defining a Brand: That “gut feeling”
[This article was contributed by Levina Kusumadjaja]
What is a brand?
“The moment she walked in, I knew she was THE ONE.”
"What are you talking about? You've just met her.”
"I don't know. I could feel it! I just know it. We're going to have so much fun together.”
"You're crazy.”
"Nope, trust me this time. My gut feeling says she is the one I've been waiting for."
I'm sure you've had moments like that. Moments when you meet or see or interact with something for the first time and then you feel this sudden rush inside of you. Excitement, fear, worry, hope, shock, — so many possible emotions. You can't quite explain where they come from and you don't have a logical explanation why you come to that conclusion, because you just know it.
“[A brand] is a person's gut feeling.”
–Marty Neumeier
That “gut feeling.”
What makes a brand is the impression it makes the moment that brand walks into the room and catches your attention, and the mark it leaves on you the moment it leaves the room. It's everything that makes you go, “Who's that girl?!” and what makes you wonder, “Who was that?”
Brands go beyond what you can see or touch. It goes beyond just choosing colors and shapes to describe it. Let's go back to the girl who walked into the cafe. If she was a brand, the impression she made would come from so many things: her facial features, what she wore, her accent, the way she walked, what she said when you said “hello,” the way her hair fell on her shoulders (or tied up in a bun).
Now, let's think about this in the context of an actual business. What makes a brand is everything, literally everything, that comes with your business or services or even people representing your business and services. The phrases they used over and over again, that “vibe” you get when you walk into their store, the sense of belonging when you know someone else also uses the same brand. It's not just what you see on their Instagram profile, but what you feel after your close their Instagram profile. It's about how fast you race to your doorsteps when you know a product you ordered from them has arrived.
“It's not what you say it is.
It's what they say it is.”
–Marty Neumeier
So, the next time you think about building a brand, branding, or establishing a brand — whatever you'd like to call it, think bigger. Think deeper. Think beyond a logo or a design template. Start thinking about that “gut feeling” you'd feel when a girl walks in as you sit at the corner of your favorite coffee shop, what will make you go:
"Who's that girl?!"
"Who was that?"
Cheers!
Levina
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About the author:
Levina is a writer based in Indonesia. Because of Melinda Livsey, she recognized the power of brand strategy for every creative. She is sharing about her learnings as she goes to help creatives have fun in their growth and journey of building brands. Connect with her on LinkedIn and say hi!