With a Brand Idea running through every element of their strategy, culture and communication, they can ignite growth and value – and transform their futures.
Businesses are deeply complex and multi-layered. An intricate network of people and systems, constantly evolving with an ever-increasing wish list. A demand for more customers. A wish for stronger talent. A desire for a bigger impact. But most leaders will have two fundamental ambitions – to grow and ignite value. And it’s this that keeps them staring at the ceiling at 3am wondering ‘How do we actually do this?
The answer, for us, is simple. With the right brand idea, everything changes.
It’s not about redesigning your logo for the tenth time. It’s not about a strapline or a brand onion, or yet another marketing campaign. It’s about a dynamic central idea that underpins and runs through every interaction, every decision, every touchpoint of your business – inside and out. An idea that inspires, that guides and has intrinsic value across all communications channels
Growing and igniting value doesn’t just happen; it comes from influencing behaviours and changing perceptions. Having a powerful Brand Idea in place creates the clarity to do both.
Perception drives behaviour
Humans are simple creatures. We act based on what we perceive to be true. If people don’t see your business as the obvious choice – for buying, for joining, for investing in – it’s because their perception doesn’t align with the action you want them to take. Whether you want customers to make different purchasing decisions, employees to engage more deeply with your company’s purpose or potential partners to align with your vision, the way to create lasting value is through the way we see things.
The good news? Perceptions can change. They don’t change with more noise, more clutter, more confusion. They change when people are hit with a Brand Idea so clear and so compelling, it makes them rethink everything they thought they knew. This is where the real power of a Brand Idea kicks in. It moves a brand from being one of many to the only one that matters.
What a Brand Idea is and what a Brand Idea isn’t
A Brand Idea goes deep. It’s a hard-working, multi-tasking, singular thing. It can stretch across many touchpoints – from communications to culture, from guidelines to storytelling.
A Brand idea is inspiring. It can rally and galvanize. Of course,
Brand claims and brand promises are also inspiring, but they tend to only work as descriptive lines that sum up the business benefit. They’re important, but they just don’t have the breadth that a Brand Idea does.
The Brand Idea is the thing that forms the foundations that you build up and out from. It gives a business the focus and clarity on what it stands for.
A strong Brand Idea is built with Conviction
Let’s think Nike. Apple. Or Amazon. What makes the world’s most iconic – and most valuable – brands succeed? They stand for something definitive. They stand for a singular, undeniable idea and they stand for it unequivocally. Nike’s mission is to inspire athletes and push human potential. Apple’s is to bring the best user experience to customers. And Amazon’s is to simplify and improve everyday life. These brands have absolute clarity on what they stand for. So that their customers, employees and investors get it. Instinctively. Immediately.
What we see – all too often – is brands struggle by trying to be too many things to too many people and brands get tangled up in disjointed messaging, inconsistent narratives and misaligned strategies.
Building with absolute clarity and having a clear, steadfast understanding of who you are and what you stand for – now that’s building Brand Ideas with Conviction.
And once you’ve got that elusive Brand Idea, then you prove it through everything your business does, stitching it into every interaction, every campaign and conversation.
Why Brand Ideas are better
In today’s competitive world, standing out is no longer enough. You have to stand for something. When executed with Conviction, a Brand Idea does just that. It’s gives you the foundations and certainty. It’s the fire that’s lit under everything. It’s how you ignite growth and create value. And it has the power to transform the future of a business for good.
That’s why, at Keel, we believe Brand Ideas change everything.
Imagine what that could do for your business.
Ready to find out?