MULTICHANNEL MARKETING: Keeping the brand consistent Mar 1, 2000 12:00 PM
, David Christenson, Carol Worthington & Rhonda Cohen
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How do you use creative to keep your brand image consistent across multiple
channels?
David Christenson: With the rush to get online and the pressure to grow,
many catalogers and retailers have not maintained their brand image in a
consistent format so that their customers will immediately recognize them.
Preserving the integrity of the brand in the design of the Website has been
the area of the greatest inconsistency.
Your brand image is defined by:
1) the logo, or the basis of your corporate identity;
2) the design formats, including consistent use of the color palette,
photography styles, and typefaces that make your advertising and catalog
visuals easily recognizable;
3) your "voice," as represented in your tag line and your copy.
Brand image should be extended to the smallest details of your culture,
such as store packaging or the blow-in card you use in your next book to
announce your Web presence.
But most Web pages sacrifice brand image in favor of "busy-ness" and high
density. Because early Web page designs filled the screen with type and
images, everyone is assuming thatthat's the best approach.
When designing your Website, don't abandon core design principles and
create clutter. The best Website I have experienced is that of apparel
marketer Banana Republic. The site typifies the brand image we all know:
clean design, minimalistic graphics, a neutral color palette, and a clear,
simple presentation of its message and product. No screen has too much on
it, and all of them are user-friendly, with the same easy-to-read fonts
that are used in the print catalog. Banana Republic also displays its
800-number next to its logo on every screen, which should be standard
practice for Website presentation.
Carol Worthington Levy: Brand is a tool that, when developed using strong
market research, is unbeatable for building sales and loyalty. A primary
advantage to using brand consistently is the strength of return visits by
your customers.
Here's why: It's often said that you can't really call someone a customer
until she has ordered from you the second time. To bring your customer
back, you need to please her with regard to service, quality, integrity,
and so on. You also need to offer a real impression of who you are, so that
your customer remembers you and feels good about visiting you again. This
is where brand speaks the loudest.
A big challenge in maintaining brand consistency among channels is in
recognizing brand as being more important than the autonomy of the people
working on individual elements. In an inhouse environment, there is more
chance that the look and voice of the brand will be consistent and strong,
since usually it's held together by a unified marketing team and a group
creative director.
When educating your creatives about your brand, written items such as your
creative brief for the project, your marketing brand statement, and
examples of "how you got where you are" can be helpful. This is an
investment in your brand's consistency, so it is well worth the time. Allow
room for questions and dialogue, and if you have any graphic-standards
guides, provide them at the beginning - not after design has been started.
I like how TravelSmith, which sells apparel and gear for travelers, carries
through its branding in its catalog, in its lead-generation space ads, and
on its Website. The catalog's brand identity is very clear in the design
and voice. TravelSmith also makes certain that its famous little black
travel dress is part of the brand. Not only does it use the dress in its
ads, but it also places it prominently on the Website for visitors to latch
onto right away.
Rhonda Cohen: Retaining a consistent brand image is an absolute necessity.
Cementing the brand in a consumer's mind and capturing a high level of
recognition of the brand's identity across multichannels of communication
are the ultimate objectives.
There must be common "threads" that run through every means of visual
communication to the consumer. If the consumer receives the same strong
visual message, positioned appropriately for a particular medium, the
building of a brand is guaranteed.
Williams-Sonoma, the resource for fine cookware and kitchen products, has
done an excellent job of communicating a strong brand image. The look and
feel of the Williams-Sonoma catalog extends to its Website as well as to
its stores. Starting with the consistent use of the Williams-Sonoma logo
and continuing with clear, crisp product presentation plus a unified
typographic style, the cookware marketer retains its brand image across the
various channels.
Brands such as Coach (fine leather goods) and Origins (cosmetics) have also
been successful in creating and retaining a strong brand image by using the
same logos, photographic styles, and merchandising strategies in each
medium. In the case of Origins, it also applies its unique copy voice in
its ads as well as in its selling channels.
Of course, each channel has different parameters within various channels of
communication. While catalogs can print a fair amount of information, Web
customers expect even more details, while stores can carry only a small
amount of information on posters and other signage.
Knowing what is appropriate for a catalog, such as elaborating your message
through copy, vs. for a Website, where the consumer wants to be shown
rather than told, is also important. Technical limitations - such as how
large an image can be shown on a Website compared to within a catalog -
must also be considered.
