Finding Your Identity
Andrew Michaels
Every company that wants to eventually grow large needs to know exactly what their corporate identity is.
A lot more goes into deciding what your identity is than you might be aware of. This isnt just about your brand itself, but what the brand you display when printing brochures, business cards and posters stands for.
Some companies have a very obvious corporate identity, and have successfully stuck by it over the years. Think about what identity you associate with the Disney company. They are clearly dedicated to magical things associated with children. They have done their best to stick closely to this specific identity and never let themselves drift very far from it.
Consider the movies they make in regards to this. Disney has a number of different subdivisions in the movie industry, and they make far more movies than just the animated films theyve become best known for. One of the recurring themes when it comes to their movies is that if its going to be rated over PG, they have one of their subdivisions release it so it wont be strongly connected to the Disney name.
That way they can maintain their identity as a company dedicated to childrens activities while still benefiting from other ventures beyond this image.
You need to figure out exactly what this will all mean to your company. Every kind of advertising you get done will be related to the identity your brand name embraces. Your brochure printing, your commercials, your flyers, and your business cards are but a few of the advertisements that your identity will impact.
But how do you figure out what your identity is to begin with?
What is it that you plan to focus on most with your company? What are you providing for people that they cant get from someplace else? What is the selling point you plan on using?
Is it about better prices, better service, a type of service no one else offers, or a type of product no one else sells? Whatever you decide, that is the basis for developing your companys identity. This is what you will be able to provide for people and why people will choose your company over all of the others.
Once you do know what your identity is be sure that every advertisement you get done is closely linked to that identity. No brochure printing order should be without your central theme that is connected with your identity. Think about how much Disney focuses on their theme of a magical childhood, and youll begin to understand what you have to do with your company.
It isnt always easy to develop a strong identity. Still, this will be one of the most important first steps towards developing a strong company. If you dont have a good identity than no one will know who you are.
|
