Why Brand Consistency Matters: Presenting in the Age of Content Overload
In the digital age, content is overflowing – consequently, there are endless platforms companies must market through. The constant flow of information can be a living nightmare for a company’s brand image. In fact, 54% of brands don’t have a dedicated on site content director to create and regulate content that is pushed out, an aspect that is crucial for branding [1].
A company’s brand refers to the logo, style, tone and voice of the company. The most successful brands have established their values, message, and attached significant meaning to their product or service. Brand consistency is critical for every single company — a consistent brand reinforces your identity, allows customers to distinguish you from your competitors, and promotes brand loyalty.
When presenting a company to an audience, the content, design, and overall presentation must embody and reflect the brand. Unfortunately, the numerous employees creating different presentations, for unique audiences, throughout a single company, threaten key factors crucial to a brands success: style guides are being broken, information is inconsistent, and the design does not reflect the brand.
In order to adequately monitor how your brand is being perceived, the most minor of details need to be identical across every marketing platform – from logo size, to color, to font type. Additionally, content needs to align with the brands voice and personality, so the company may appear to represent a cohesive mission and theme. Furthermore, the brand must imply a related look and feel, as well as carry similar voice. By voice, I mean that any place the brand is displayed – presentations, websites, social media sites, press releases, etc – need to convey the same “persona”. If you have a corky brand with funky language, then use that voice and be consistent when presenting your content! When the brand is consistent, consumers trust the product or service, recognize the company, and attach a certain meaning that will give your brand significance.
Keeping brand consistently can especially be a problem with corporations who have several divisions, locations and are working with thousands of employees. Think of it this way: there are several different people creating presentations and pushing content out through different platforms. A single person falsely represents the brand image, and now all consumers whom see that presentation are getting mixed representations of that company. Companies need to find a way to promote effective communication across all people working on a presentation. Pre-made templates that align with the brand, a thorough style guide, proper design, visuals, and the right content are all ways to maintain a consistent brand with presenting.
As I have written about previously – Nike, one of the most successful brands, has established themselves as a lifestyle, not just an athletic company. By consistently presenting their brand to their unique demographics throughout the world, Nike has been able to develop, establish, and give significance to their product. The difference between a company’s brand success and failure isn’t necessary the product produced in itself, but the consistent meaning consumers attach to the company.
Familiarizing consumers with consistent brand identity builds trust, and a relationship between the consumer and company. Make sure your brand is clear and identifiable throughout all your presentations so you are able to give a clear perception about your company and reinforce your image.
[1] Source
