Branding is therapy.
And your organisation almost certainly needs it.
Brand strategy terminology can be helpful, but the industry quarrels incessantly about what means what (see Emily Penny’s great post on this). In practice, I’ve found terms like ‘vision’ and ‘mission’ useful, because they help to create structure around the outputs of the brand strategy process.
But learning how (and when) to let go of these structures is critical. Because organisations are like people, and, although I’m sure this metaphor will initiate a few eye-rolls, I firmly believe that branding is like therapy.
It helps you to get closer to the best version of yourself.
Like Emily said in her post: “At its very simplest, branding identifies your valuable strengths and amplifies them.” Regardless of what you label the outputs, branding helps organisations to communicate and connect with the people who matter most to them.
Your needs will be different from somebody else.
You might need to focus on self-reflection for a while - clarifying your values, vision, mission, or purpose. Or you might need to spend more time focusing on how you present yourself to the world, asking questions like ‘What makes me unique’, and ‘How do I communicate this confidently to others’?
In a world where profit and purpose are starting to blend in new and exciting ways, you’ll almost certainly need to do both at some point.
Your needs will change, and as you grow, you’ll come back to it from time to time.
If you’re a young start-up, you might not be as interested in defining or refining your mission, because it can change so rapidly. But you might feel really passionate about having a strong set of brand values that help to guide you through those early years.
If you’re an older organisation that’s undergoing a big transition, you might benefit from brand research (which is sort of like a 360 personal development review). Every organisation will need a different brand strategy application.
You can’t complete it in an hour.
And if you think you can, you might need to do even more of it.
But there is (and should always be) a stopping point.
Brand strategy is a crucial process, and the benefits (to profits and positive impact) are unparalleled, but there comes a time when your organisation will need to focus on ‘doing’ for a while. Needless to say, brand strategists will always be there when you’re ready to return to it.
My name’s Sophie and I’m a branding and communications consultant who works exclusively with impact-focused organisations. I support them in conducting brand research, crafting brand messaging, and delivering brand strategy. Find out more about me and reach out.