Making your Product speak your Brand Language
25th July 2018
Anybody who’s worked with Sanders will have heard us say how important it is to have a consistent brand that can adapt to all of your touch points. This may seem paradoxical – a brand that stays the same, yet changes to suit the cause – however can be done through strong and thorough brand language implementation. Think about yourself as a brand: in the same way your passport photo will vary from your Facebook picture, the way you write a CV or cover letter will differ from how you write a text. If your brand language is effective, people will be able to tell it’s you even though you’ve changed to suit the situation.
There are many different factors you can use to determine the strength of your business’ brand language. Are people aware of every service you have to offer? Do they get the same experience of your brand online as they would in person? Can people tell it’s your brand within the first few seconds of seeing your advert? Perhaps, one of the most underestimated areas to implement brand language is in your products themselves, but alas, these are some of the most important touch points a brand can use to implement their language. How else would people describe a hoover as feeling like a Dyson or be able to distinguish food from M&S Food? This is the power your brand language could have.
The first step in implementing a strong brand language is knowing what your brand is. What was your initial aim when you started your business? Has that changed since? Where are you taking your business now? These are all aspects that we cover in a brand audit as it shows us what’s at the core of your business. Part of the reason we cover both branding and product design is so we can ensure a thorough implementation throughout to two. Seeing as the customer is always right, it’s also important to seek their opinions. If it’s good feedback, you can utilise their thoughts and exacerbate these in your marketing. If they’re not so good, the product can be harnessed to change public opinion.
Some brands swear by certain designers. Others prefer to keep their work to themselves. Regardless, it’s important to strike the right balance of keeping a reliable, tried and trusted provider and seeking out someone who can take your product to the next level. Whilst there’s no harm in staying loyal to your existing team, bringing in new designers and subsequently perspectives could be just what your product needs.
Sometimes the product itself can be designed to speak your brand language without the help of a logo or brandmark. Say you’re designing a range of oven and tableware products. If your target market is professional chefs and high-end restaurants, then only the finest ceramic materials should be used. If your brand has a clean-cut image, then visual symbolism such as sharp lines could be used to reflect this in your products. Even ethics and beliefs can be portrayed through a product if it acquiesces with the criteria of this belief and allows your customers to adhere to it too. Don’t try to incorporate every adjective into your product – not even the best products can do everything. However by zeroing in on your key qualities and maybe employing some tripling or alliteration in the marketing e.g. clean-cut and quality, you can let your newest product do the talking not just for itself, but for your brand.
Our decision to offer both branding and product design wasn’t just a case of we couldn’t choose which was our favourite. It was a result of a genuine belief that the best results come when the two work hand in hand. As the world of shopping changes so rapidly and more becomes available online, it’s more important than ever for a product to convey a message quickly and promote your brand. Whether it be at first glance at a website, or by spotting it in a friend’s home, a product that knows its own brand language will always sell itself.
