Have you ever thought about how brands have the ability to make their mark and captivate a potential audience?
Products, services and offerings are the key.
However, a brand that is able to differentiate itself from others, can help it to stand out.
Touchpoints, they all matter
Everything from billboards, websites and social media to name a few, all form parts of a brand’s ‘touchpoints’.
There is no set number of touchpoints that a brand should have, but being present where the audience is can be an effective strategy to follow.
Think about the reach of some of the world’s most iconic brands. They make it easy for us to identify the brand through their touchpoints and their communications.
Take Apple for example. The Apple brand has a cohesive visual and design language that is applied to everywhere that they are present.
Apple combines selected colours with traditional shades of whites, blacks and greys. They use a consistent set of fonts. These ‘brand standards’ are used across their marketing and communications. It even feeds into other areas including photography and video.
The bitten-into apple is synonymous with the logo. This makes an appearance on the majority of their touchpoints.
The physical stores across the world have a familiar, harmonious, zen-like look and feel when we walk around them to make it a pleasant customer experience.
Their Mission Statement, “Think Different” lies at the heart of their brand and attracts revolutionary users.
Apple is known for its ‘keynotes’ or presentations to announce its latest product offering. Each brings a level of excitement, and as most Apple enthusiasts would agree, we have become familiar with the approach and flow of these product launches.
Everything that Apple communicates reinforces the fact that they are a software and technology company. Over time, they have set a standard for others to follow.
Through its touchpoints, Apple often has the ability to create unique memorable communications. They get people talking. Especially those in the tech space.
Building this consistency of brand allows Apple to establish a ‘differentiating factor’, that people will recall and remember whenever they come across an Apple touchpoint.
Today, you can probably see that no matter how big (or small) a company is, it’s essential to be thinking about how it will use touchpoints to engage. Listening, understanding the audience and thoughtfully building the touchpoints of a brand, can help them to become future assets.
Whilst working with a local food brand that was gearing up to go national, their essential touchpoints included the design of the logo identity, label, packaging and promotional materials. However, through discussions, it became clear that they needed to think broader about their touchpoints and where they wanted their brand to be present.
With the rise of digital technologies, companies can build their online brand assets and establish their digital footprints. Think websites, social media, apps and more.
As the title suggests, branding is at the heart of creating unique and memorable communications. It enables a deeper connection with the audience.
Use your touchpoints.