Consistency and Exclusivity
by John R. Sedivy
Consistency and Exclusivity
In my first blog I discussed the importance of brand consistency. Specifically this means that a brand’s image, to include its logo, website, business cards and other marketing materials as well as the product or service provided to clients, should all consistently invoke the same image or thoughts to a potential customer or observer. Taken a step further, your brand should be exclusive and cater to a small niche market. In my opinion, a few companies who do this very well and happen to be among my favorite brands are Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Starbucks.
Examples
Each of the above mentioned companies are both consistent and exclusive. The message of Apple is consistent, from the cleanliness and trendsetting nature of their stores, to the elegance in their product design and packaging. Barnes & Noble and Starbucks also provide clean, modern stores which are consistent regardless of location and their websites offer warm, soothing tones which are in line with their overall message.
Each company is also exclusive in that they market to the middle to upper income brackets who are less sensitive to price. Mainly this demographic is not looking for a bargain and is willing to pay more for the experience offered by the business. Sure, I could easily brew my own coffee at a greatly reduced cost, but I would miss the atmosphere which breaks up my day in a comforting, modern environment. Also, I could purchase a less expensive personal computer, but then I would miss out on the elegance of an Apple product and the sense of belonging to a community of Mac users. Finally, Barnes & Noble provides a modern store, with a large selection of books, magazines, and other materials and a comfortable reading environment consistent with its upscale Manhattan headquarters.
Another aspect of the exclusivity theme is that each of the example brands discussed in this blog offers an exclusive membership club type experience which rewards their members for membership. Barnes & Noble and Starbucks offer membership clubs which offer discounts and other member benefits. Apple offers a less direct method through training classes, their in-store experience, and finally the group of Mac users who willingly help one another through online forums.
Relevance
This begs the following questions:
- Is your business consistent and exclusive?
- Does the compiled set of your logo, website, business cards, product and/or service invoke a consistent image to your client base?
- Is your business exclusive or are you attempting to cater to everyone and anyone?
- Are you offering a truly unique “experience” to your clients?
- What sense of belonging do you offer to your clients?
Offer your clients a truly unique experience conveyed by a consistent and exclusive branding package.
Welcome to Cape Cod Branding!
by John R. Sedivy
What’s a Brand?
No we are not talking about the marking of cattle, but the creation of an identity for your company which basically sets you apart from the crowd. According to Wikipedia, a brand is a collection of images and ideas representing an economic producer. It refers to the descriptive verbal attributes and concrete symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme that convey the essence of a company, product or service (Wikipedia/Brand). That being said, a brand is more than a collection of pictures or statements, it is essentially the message you are attempting to convey to your customers. That message should be consistent across all of your marketing materials.
Why Cape Cod Branding?
Cape Cod was chosen as the scene for our company as my business partner and I recently relocated to Cape Cod. Upon living here for a few months we noticed the high concentration of high-end specialty boutiques that are characteristic of the area. Although there are a large number of such shops here on “The Cape” each has a unique presence and message, or brand. Cape Cod is meant to bring to mind images of high-end, unique, specialty shops, while branding is meant to conjure an image of each shop or business possessing a unique message.
Why Should I Read This Blog?
The Cape Cod Branding blog, or CCB Buzz will provide occasional posts in two segments. One segment will be from me, John Sedivy, and will contain technical information relating to branding, current market trends and the latest techniques related to branding. This information will be based upon the latest branding and marketing books, as well as information gained from client experience through Cape Cod Branding. In essence, this will provide you with a summarized resource without doing all the legwork that I will be doing; each blog will provide a new topic of interest.
My business partner, Amy Stevens Adams, will provide more of the softer, human side of the blog. She will blog about each of our clients, with each blog focusing on a specific client. This section will provide you with information about who we provide services for, as well as the people behind each of the showcased businesses. The bottom line is that you can read about companies just like you and the benefit they had received from branding.
