Monday, January 3, 2022
7 minutes
"With millions, if not billions, of businesses trying to make a name for themselves, having a strong brand has become crucial for businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors" - (Kathryn Wheeler, 2019). ⁽⁴⁾
If your company is looking for a fresh, new and creative look, a look and feel that will elevate your company to the next level, you have come to the right place. Working with a brand agency can provide you with creative and engaging strategies and designs you need to stand out from your competitors. A brand agency can create, improve and maintain your brand by implementing engaging design and communication by focusing on a creative brand strategy. ⁽⁵⁾
"Brand identity is more than just finding the right logo to place on coffee cup sleeves or mount above your front door. It's about crafting a personality that amplifies the core elements of your brand's DNA." - (Jared Rosen, 2019).⁽⁴⁾ You need people to engage with your brand, your brand needs to spark excitement and interest in their minds, and make them have a positive and respectful look towards your brand as a whole.
1. You want to stand out from the rest. It is important that your brand is positioned well in the market
2. You want to bring authenticity to the table and show off your unique brand personality
3. You have a promise to deliver to your customers. Figure out what your customers want
4. Your business came from something, you want your business to depict its core values, you want your brand to tell a story
5. You need your brand to be associated with things that matter to you and your business ⁽⁶⁾
A branding agency can provide you with many things. They can provide:
• Creativity
• Development
• Maintenance
• Improvement
The primary focus is to refresh the brand through effective brand strategy, thus allowing for a stronger brand identity and brand recognition. A brand agency is here to help you gain an advantage over your competitors. A brand agency will equip you with an essential brand communications strategy, which will, in turn, elevate your reach and broaden your brand’s target audience.⁽⁵⁾
"Creative and strategy are still vital to an agency's brand, as is having the kind of culture that fosters great thinking" - (Jami Oetting, 2015)⁽¹⁾
A brand agency will give your company a solid foundation to start or improve your business by understanding the market you operate in and analysing the competitors you are up against. Analysing your competitors can be crucial for your company, as this is what will set you apart from them.
What a brand agency can specialise in
• Brand names
• Brand identity
• Brand positioning
• Brand portfolio and architecture
• Brand strategy and guidelines
• Communications
• Company logos
• Research and analytics
• Package designs
• Apparel designs
• Web design
• Brand manuals
• Animations
• Intellectual property
• Social media⁽⁵⁾
Imagine relying on another company to build your brand from the ground up, relying on them to design, develop, maintain and manage your brand. What qualities would you like to see from another company when working together?
When you picture your brand in the hands of another, you need to know that you can trust them. How can you trust them?
Some points to think about when going with the right brand agency:
• What sort of work have they done for past clients?
• How experienced are they?
• What procedures and processes do they go through when branding for their clients?
• How professional are they?
• How do they communicate with you?
• Are they honest and upfront about their costs?
• Does this agency have a good reputation?
"That restless feeling that the world around us is changing by the tweet and that we must grow and change with it -- chase it even. It's critical to foster a culture that doesn't settle, one that never stops questioning and encourages everyone to challenge the comfort of now and to constantly crave more" - (Jami Oetting, 2015). ⁽¹⁾
Growth is important for any company or individual. The needs and wants of society are forever changing, and your company should be aware of your consumers wants and needs. Is your company still providing business to its full potential? Is there room for improvement? Are you making a fundamental impact on your marketing environment and its consumers?
Other important reasons you might consider when looking to change things up:
• You want customers to change the way they view your brand
• Increase business
• Bring a deeper connection to the brand
• Motivate brand loyalty ⁽⁶⁾
"The key to having a strong agency brand is to have a POV and stand for something. Then, at every opportunity, you must defend it" - (Jami Oetting, 2015).
Pünchu is a contemporary children's clothing brand and overall wanted to encompass a brand that is proudly and uniquely African. Pünchu is stylish, and more than just a clothing brand. It is a brand that will also have a fundamental impact on education in families with African roots, as well as embracing children’s individuality.
Every child can be shaped from their unique parents, heritage, beliefs, past and traditions. Pünchu knows that these are core elements in our lives that shape our individuality, and Pünchu is here to celebrate this. The Pünchu brand pursues a sense of African belonging around the globe. It seeks to show their love and appreciation for families and African roots.
As Pünchu would say, "Me in the world!" What does this stand for? This slogan celebrates and encourages you to be your true self. It represents one's uniqueness and aims to tell you that you belong. You can encompass the confidence to be 'you' in this vast world that you live in. It's you in the world.
Pünchu’s story and symbols aim to represent a celebration of Africanacity around the globe. Pünchu aims to achieve this representation through patterns and clans.
The organic graphics are inspired by natural elements such as rocks, water, the sun and the rainbow. The shapes convey a child-like aesthetic and a subtle African style. The patterns also represent spreading one's wings — while remaining confident in your cultural roots, movement and fun.
The Pünchu Nunu illustrative graphics feature a myriad of Pünchu Nunus, all communicating in various languages. The illustrations allow for the creation of a whimsical look and feel. Being a Pünchu Nunu means that you know where you come from and where you belong.
The name and greeting translation graphics promotes communication and learning in different languages. They will be developed using a whole range of languages. Pünchu's brand mark is a speech bubble. It highlights the importance of communication in the developmental phase and a global context. As a brand, Pünchu is a beacon for the preservation of:
The letters in Pünchu’s logo mark are custom-made for the brand and represent the energy and movement associated with small children.
"Just like a client's marketing strategy, the emphasis should not be on "features", but on the value of working with a given agency (harnessing big data for valuable insights)" - (Jami Oetting, 2015)⁽¹⁾
A valuable commodity that a brand agency should focus on and bring out in the process of "brandshaping" is a business's values, authenticity, meaning, and focus on the people in the business. Focus on the story and history to capture and bring out complete transparency and have a solid company ethos.
De Jonghs Panelbeating Centre needed to nationalise and re-shape. To do this, the Creative Caterpillar team needed to:
• Update their corporate identity
• Streamline their internal and external communications
• Design advertising campaigns emphasising their accreditation status
• Develop and improve their website
A brand such as De Jonghs Panelbeating Centre has a very important company history. Being family-owned, it was crucial for us at Creative Caterpillar to shape De Jongh's into a family business that also encompassed their ethos:
• Integrity
• Respect
• Honesty
• Trust
• Pride
• Neatness and excellence
"Focus on Your People and Purpose" - (Chris Meyer, n.d.)
The staff at De Jonghs are not simply workers. The owners of De Jonghs take great pride in uplifting their staff and training them to be professionals in their discipline.
Best Staff = Best Customer Service = Top Accreditation.
Customer satisfaction and experience is paramount, and De Jonghs measures their success on the satisfaction and appreciation of their clients. They pride themselves on open communication with their clients and they communicate each step of the panel beating process with them. This, in particular, sets them apart from other shops that promise and underdeliver.
When it comes to re-branding, a brand agency also has a professional and transparent list of design guidelines, values, ethos, background, target market, associations, and references to adhere to that will help bring out a strong brand identity. These are some of the elements and guidelines which helped with the re-shaping of De Jonghs Panelbeating Centre:
• Colour preference: Silver, black with a touch of red.
• The logo must illustrate the world-class standard with which De Jonghs operates and bring across the brand's worthiness.
• The logo must appeal to a male and female audience.
• Incorporate elements of panel beating and fresh colour into the design to make it appealing to the target market.
• Using Mercedes-Benz AMG as a brand reference of quality, pride and strength.
• Explore modern and classic fonts for logo, corporate stationery, and internal and external documentation.
De Jonghs re-brand has successfully helped them deliver their promise, which is to treat their clients with courtesy, honesty and respect and deliver excellence with dedication.
The shaping that Creative Caterpillar has encompassed and applied to brands such as Pünchu and De Jonghs Panelbeating Centre has successfully highlighted the masterful work behind a brand agency. The professional and hard-working endeavours that the team undertake portray the wonders of what brandshaping can do for your business. Growth, excellence, transformation, professionalism and creative design is just around the corner for your brand.
Contact Creative Caterpillar today https://www.creativecaterpillar.co.za/contact. It all starts here.
References:
1. Oetting, J.
3. Landrum, S.
4. Wheeler, K.
6. Gurnani, S.
7. Santora, J.
