Keeping it Clean and Clear: Maintaining Consistency Across the Brand

Hi, and thanks for checking out episode four of Kill the Ad Man. When we hear the words ‘brand consistency,’ it’s pretty easy to think of proper use of logos and fonts, colours and images. But brand consistency extends to every touchpoint a company has. And we mean EVERY touchpoint. From answering the phone to your business card to your website to your thank you cards, your brand and everyone who has ownership of it (ie. everyone in your company) must speak the same language, the same voice.

The Tower of Babel myth holds a pretty instructive lesson for brand owners and marketers: when everyone speaks the same language, incredible things are possible—think of what heights can be reached when everything is pulling in the same direction! But the flip side of the myth is also relevant: disaster looms when that unity of voice is broken.

It’s also important that a brand is presented consistently to create recognition in the marketplace. Brands need to own a space in the minds and hearts of their audience. With a well-distilled and consistently delivered brand, companies are able to generate enormous value, growth and loyalty. And yes, there’s data that supports this!

We share some big picture things that brand owners and marketers can do to help ensure a brand is delivered consistently, and we have some really great examples of companies that have owned their markets by adhering to the Four Commandments of Brand Consistency.

Still think brand consistency is about just the visuals? We hope you’ll see it’s about a whole lot more.

Have feedback or a comment to make? Drop us a note! Think we're full of it? Completely agree? Fall somewhere in between? We'd be happy to hear from you.

If you've got some value from this episode, share it with one person in your network. We are really passionate about building well-distilled and consistently delivered brands, and we can't do it alone.

If you want to learn more about what we do at Rebox - a B2B Brand Distillery, visit us at WeAreRebox.com.

Thanks for listening and cheers!
Kevin M. & Mr. Rob

This Episode's Takeaways

• Know Thy Brand
• For companies of any size: Be Consistent. It's easy to do and may feel boring at times, but it's critical to building a presence in the market.
• A brand standard isn't just a visual identity guide, it's a reference tool for your people to go to whenever there's a question. It includes the visual parts, but it holds the bigger picture as well.
• Make it easy to be "on brand." Empower your people to live the brand as well, and take the guesswork out of delivery on your brand.

This Episode's Sources and Resources

• Why Your Brand is the Most Important Asset You Have
• Brand Finance: Overview of ISO 10668: Brand Valuation
• Millward Brown - Brand Building: An Investment in Future Financial Success
• Martin Roll: The Secret to Starbucks’ Brand Success
• Brandland from Zendesk
• John Deere Core Values
• John Deere Presents | The Airstrip
• John Deere Presents | The Veteran
• Interbrand 2018 Best Global Brands