Consistency makes a sign successful
What is the value of consistent branding?
In reality I, as the author, am not in the pay grade to give a number that will answer this question, but I can make a number of observations
Generally speaking brand consistency refers to the practice of maintaining a cohesive (solid) and unified brand identity across all touchpoints and communication channels.
Brand consistency involves presenting a consistent brand message, visual identity (such as signage and packaging), tone of voice, and overall brand experience to your target audience. The value of brand consistency can be significant (think Coke, Amex, Pepsi, Epstein, Cosby and Weinstein) and can impact various, if not all, aspects of a business.
Here are some key benefits of brand consistency:
1. Brand Recognition: Consistent branding helps customers recognize and remember your brand more easily. When your brand elements, such as logo, colors, typography, and messaging, are consistently applied across different platforms and marketing materials, such as signage, vehicle branding, packaging and letter heads, the consistency of the visual identity creates a strong brand identity that stands out in the minds of consumers. This brand consistency facilitates brand recall and can lead to increased brand recognition and awareness. Coke is an excellent example of brand identity using color and font. Think of coke’s visual marketing (signage) and you can see that they consistently use a SPECIFIC red and a specific FONT making the coke red and coke font (universally?) recognizable.
2. Building Trust and Credibility: Consistency builds trust among consumers. When your brand consistently delivers on its promises, maintains a consistent quality of product or services, and communicates a unified message, your brand consistency establishes credibility and reliability. Customers are more likely to trust and engage with a brand that appears professional, dependable, and authentic. An example of how branding can affect perceptions is an observation of an American Express (AMEX) sign in Cape Town a number of years ago. Watching prospective customers they would approach the bank, look at the signage, look at the rates and move on. VERY FEW prospects cam e back to do business. It is possible that the rates were excessive, but on further investigation it appeared that the branding had accidently been reversed so the sign looked like the store may be a ‘fake’ knock-off of AMEX, and thus people tended to not trust the signage.
3. Differentiation: In a crowded marketplace, having a consistent brand helps your brand stand out from competitors. By maintaining a unique and consistent brand identity, you create a distinct image and position in the minds of consumers. Consistency allows you to communicate your brand’s unique value proposition and differentiate yourself from others, making it easier for customers to choose your trusted brand over competitors. It is for this reason that large companies trade mark certain colors, shapes and slogan’s. In this respect think of ADIDAS, NIKE and Dolce & Gabana. In South Africa a recent example is WE BUY CARS who have named their business as such and as a result are able to take legal action against any other motor dealer who states WE BUY CARS – even if that is what their business does. I suppose this could also be seen as an example of KNOW THE RULES OF THE GAME – which we buy cars did and played well, even if morally and ethically frowned upon.
4. Customer Loyalty: Consistent branding helps create and maintain customer loyalty and advocacy – what in known s RAVING FANS in social media terms. When customers have positive experiences with your brand and consistently encounter your brand identity, they develop a sense of familiarity and emotional connection. The emotional connection can lead to increased customer loyalty, repeat purchases, and positive word-of-mouth recommendations, the ultimate aim of all marketers. Customer loyalty can be seen among many of the worlds top brands such as APPLE, TOYOTA, MERCEDES, COKE, PEPSI to name very few.
5. Efficiency and Cost Savings: Brand consistency simplifies marketing efforts and can possibly reduces costs in the long run. By establishing brand guidelines and templates, you create a framework that streamlines the creation of marketing materials, both online and offline. Consistency eliminates the need to reinvent your brand’s visual and messaging elements for every campaign or platform, saving time and resources. In signage brand consistency comes from the corporate hand book that every business should have. While a very detailed hand book can lead to less innovation, it certainly makes the life of the signage manufacturer simpler by specifying what materials should be used, how they should be used, where the materials should be used and what the outcome should be. It is possible that such specifications can add to increased cost, but the cost is certainly worthwhile when one considers what the alternative can be when people look at multiple signs from different manufacturers and they are all visibly different.
6. Employee Alignment: One often overlooked advantage of brand consistency is how consistent branding benefits internal stakeholders, such as employees. When your brand has clear guidelines and a consistent identity, it becomes easier for employees to understand and represent the brand effectively. Consistency aligns employees with the brand’s values, mission, and vision, creating a sense of unity and shared purpose. In the modern business world it is also know that if certain levels of employees do not SEE their employers branding they feel they are not working for a business that has MADE IT, or can even make it, so they prefer to go to the recognized market leaders.
Possible disadvantages of brand consistency can be in rigidity and cost. This is especially true in signage if you want to produce all your signage in one factory and then have to pay shipping costs to get the signs delivered to various locations, whether nationally or internationally. That said, the cost of centralized production also has the advantage of generating some (even if very little) economies of scale – something that is vary rare in the custom sign industry.
Brand consistency can thus be seen to play a crucial role in shaping how consumers perceive and interact with your brand. Brand consistency helps build recognition, trust, differentiation, loyalty, and efficiency. By investing in brand consistency, businesses can establish a strong and memorable brand that resonates with their target audience and drives long-term success.
If you are looking to partner with a signage company that takes brand consistency seriously, SignForce is the signage company for you.
Contact SignForce now on info@signforce.co.za or call +27 (0)11 440 7525 or WhatsApp +27 (0)82 558 6413
Find out more about SignForce by visiting http://www.signforce.co.za