Brand essence can be difficult to define but doing so can take your business further, engage more customers and turn your existing customers into loyal fans. But what is brand essence and why is it important?
All successful businesses have something at their core that makes them unique. Take Apple. The tech giant’s brand essence can be boiled down to simple elegance. And this is reflected in Apple’s products that combine cutting edge tech with interfaces that are surprisingly easy to use. Or Disney, where everything from theme parks to its streaming service is built around the power of magic.
A brand essence is more than just words. Brand essence should go beyond features and functional benefits. Instead, it should capture the reliable feeling customers can expect when they interact with a brand.
Brand essences are important for building a cohesive brand identity. And a cohesive brand identity is important for engaging and attracting the right customers and creating marketing campaigns that work.
A brand essence is something we recommend to clients before redesigning a logo, building a website or rebranding their businesses. That’s how important it is.
75% of customers buy from brands whose values they share. This is why it’s important for businesses to know not just what they sell, but what they stand for. It's the first step (and in some ways the most important) towards creating a memorable brand that customers care about.
A brand essence will also influence every other aspect of your brand identity. Let’s go back to Disney. The logo incorporates a stylised autograph of its founder Walt Disney with a magical castle and a shooting star. It’s both magical and a nod to the company's history. It’s also detailed and playful. In comparison, the Apple logo is simple, sleek and elegant.
There are lots of decisions businesses have to make that can influence how customers feel about them. A brand essence is a document that can help keep a business's marketing (and any other activities) cohesive and “on brand.”
At Ambitious Aotearoa, we have a proprietary framework for creating a brand essence. We develop brand essences at the beginning of our client relationships as a guiding document for the work we do moving forward. They include:
We start off by identifying what our clients do, what they are good at and who they do it for. These simple statements are important for identifying ways that our clients are different to their competitors. By identifying and naming their unique selling propositions we start to create a story about our client’s business and what they do better than the competition.
We’ll finish the brand essence by defining the value proposition — what value the business brings to their industry and the positioning statement — a statement that tells customers exactly why they’re the best choice.
An essence statement is a powerful three-to-four-word statement that sums what customers can expect when they interact with their brand. This essence statement is what may keep customers coming back again and again.
Archetypes and tone of voice guidelines ensure we’re speaking to customers the right way.
Brand essences exist as a foundation to keep a brand consistent and authentic, no matter what new products or services are being created. They’re also a physical document that clients can refer to anytime they have questions regarding their business as a brand.
Here are someways our customers use their brand essence:
We like to think of the brand essence as a foundational document that guides many other marketing decisions. With a clearly defined brand essence, it’s a lot easier to create other assets, campaigns and content. Since you know exactly who you are targeting, key decisions can be made faster and with more confidence. With everyone on the same page, your team and customers will experience less frustration and confusion.
A brand essence is as much about defining a brand as it is about setting boundaries. The most successful businesses in the world are specific about their messaging. Being selective about your messaging and targeting fewer types of people can make your brand stronger. Through a brand essence
Around 80% of consumers need to trust a brand before they make a purchase. A brand essence focuses on the emotive element of your brand that customers can connect with. Wishy-washy marketing or vague brand message can make it hard for customers to feel familiar with your brand. Having a brand essence helps customers relate to your messaging and will build trust over time.
