Brand awareness has real value – it can increase brand equity, customer loyalty, sales, word of mouth marketing and more. But there is no one route to increasing brand awareness itself. You might employ a strategy which includes content marketing, brand films and videos, or opt for advertising alone. You might use influencers or create podcasts or partner with events and outlets. Whatever strategy you choose to follow, design must be a major consideration.
Visuals may not always lead in your strategy, but they’re incredibly important to consumers and so to your success. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than the written word and an astonishing 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. That’s why the look and feel of your brand is often what makes the biggest impact. Based on this we did some awesome work with the technology company Open GI:
Making your brand recognisable, and distinguishable from your competitors, is a vital step towards creating strong brand awareness. Where brand recognition means people should be able to pick out your company and describe what you do, brand awareness is more hands on. It requires your audience to differentiate your offering from close competitors’ and works to build trust, which ultimately means customers will choose you over them, even when price or convenience are not in your favour.
Good design boosts awareness
To grow awareness, it’s vital to have a strong brand identity. It’s this that creates a bridge between you, your products or services and your customers. Your brand identity lets your audience know what to expect from you and highlights what’s most exciting about your offering.
When done well, all that can be done through visual branding including colour schemes, logos, design elements and more. But you must focus on the inherent value of your company and your purpose – choosing your visuals simply on the basis that they look great won’t build awareness.
We know from experience that good design can share so much about a business. In our work with Redrow, we’ve used the power of design – in this case an entirely new visual identity – to show how new build homes can be so much more than a blank slate. A refined logo symbol, clean typography and a whole host of film with high production values have given the brand a modern, premium feel and set it apart from the many competitors in the field.
Awareness builds positive brand equity
When we discuss brand awareness, it’s achieving these recognisable points of difference that matter most. Setting your brand apart from others in a similar field is of vital importance as your closest competitors are almost always your biggest threat.
Your visual identity allows you to set yourself apart and it’s a distinction that can be ‘read’ and understood by any audience in a matter of seconds. Creating this sense of difference has been central in our work with UK vet charity, PDSA. With a more focused visual identity and through a process which includes full audits, ongoing social media strategy, educational campaigns and all-important Christmas campaigns, brand awareness for the charity has rocketed.
Alongside it, positive brand equity has grown. For most businesses that might result in the ability to raise prices due to an increased perceived value, a rise in stock prices and new opportunities to expand service or product lines. For PDSA, it should encourage charitable giving, the cornerstone of its funding.
It’s very rare that a brand with poor design will be shared, and trusted, widely enough to achieve a good sense of brand awareness. When it comes to branding, looking good is half the battle. But brands which marry great design with their core messages, best products and engaging personality go so much further.
Awareness is closely tied to both recognition and trust, so your visual identity needs to inspire both. To do that, it must reflect your brand’s personality, quality and style. It’s quite a big ask, but if you need a little help, we know just the right people for the job.
Get in touch with us at anythingspossible@drpgroup.com. As a fully integrated agency, we’ll be able to put you in touch with the right team of design, creative and campaign experts to make sure your brand both looks great and reaches the best audience for you and your business. What are you waiting for?
