There are tons of consultants (including myself) selling branding services around the world. Most tend to say (not including myself) that branding is complexed. A quick search on Google image search reveals tons of models. What if we look beyond those models and all those advices that often lead to heavy brand manuals that no one wants?

What is the core of great branding? Here’s my five cents:

1. Clarity

What are you about? Make sure that is clear to your audience either straight up or over time.

Carl Lagerfeldt and Lady Gaga knows great branding!

Clarity is about teaching your potential fans about what you are about and sticking to it. That doesn’t necessarily mean doing the same thing over and over. Stay exotic!

2. Consistency

Whatever you are, make sure you keep doing it over time.

Porsche knows great branding!

Great brands can be found quickly but can only be built over time. People argue Google is one of the most quickly built brands in the world. I beg to differ. It’s one of the most quickly globally acknowledged brands in the world but that doesn’t mean it’s a strong brand. Say Google out of some strange reason went bankrupt today. I don’t think there’s any value in the brand in 5 years time outside the business of search. Porsche on the other side – that’s been built over the last century – would stand the tests of time.

3. Excellence

And whatever you do. Deliver your brand values with excellence in EVERY part of the customer journey. (I’ve written a longer post on this before) If your brand values are quality – deliver the highest possible quality.

Apple knows great branding!

If your brand values are the opposite (say like Rent-A-Wreck) – deliver the opposite with the highest possible passion. It’s not about everyone being top notch quality in terms of design – it’s about being true to your brand and deliver that truth in the best possible way you can.

3 things. Get going!

Brands all over the world – Google, IBM, Nike, BMW, Porsche, Starbucks, Coca Cola & Levi Straus, they all say the think about sustainability. What about your brand?

Sustainability is a beautiful word, especially in terms of how it affects brands. The true meaning of it is ‘the capacity to endure’ and that’s more or less what every brand owner wants out of his brand or company – endurance. Then of course I do think most of you know that the meaning of it today is about authenticity, what your brand actively does in order to make the world a better place tomorrow than it is today. Whatever your business is, rest assured that you are tearing the earth resources down as you’re producing your products and delivering your services. Sustainable brands take responsibility and make sure they’re leaving a better world behind. Only then will you be able to maintain a brand that is loved over time.

One of my regular reads, the David Report Blog, published a ‘bulletin’ on sustainability about a month ago. The report called; ‘A checklist for sustainability’ presents seven steps that will raise questions, thoughts and hopefully provide you with some ideas on how to make sure your brand doesn’t only take but also give something back. The checklist is based on the Sustainable Wheel, a holistic vision of sustainable design developed by the knowledge company Designboost.

It’s a great read and we got no time to loose, so point that clicker of yours below and get started! Who knows, you might end up turning your brand into a modern one. And even better, you might end up making the world a better place while doing so.

…to post this video of the new Porsche Panamera. Officially released today. Interesting also from a marketing perspective. Porsche have never released something like this before.

Porsche Panamera

Picked it up from Luxury Insider, founded by two guys I met at a marketing event in Monte Carlo a couple of years ago.