It's a tough sell to help someone understand the impact that a successful brand can have on their company. How it could mean difference between charging $2 instead of $1. Shrugging off your competition instead of worrying about their every move. Not worrying about recessions, the bottom line, or sacrificing your company's integrity to get paid. We get it, it all sounds like some graphic guy's romantic idea of "how things should be". But it's actually not.
Ask yourself something. Would you travel down a dark, unfamiliar road in a less than desireable neighborhood, not in a car, but on foot? Would you do so without trembling or wondering what is around the next corner? Without wondering if you could trust this neighborhood with your life, without doubts? Do you want to give your consumers that impression about your company? Now what if you happened upon a neighborhood with perfectly manicured and vibrant green lawns. Clean houses, and bright, shiny cars in the driveways. Would you happily and comfortably stroll through that neighborhood? That is the difference between a good brand and a bad one. And your reaction is relative to how your consumers would react to your company. The condition, style, color, shapes, and feeling you get from a brand drives you to react to it. Whether it is a positive reaction or a negative one, it's all in the branding.
It's the reason TGI Fridays will always outsell a local restaurant, not because the food is better, but because there is a style wrapped around their existence. It is the color and texture, the little nick-nacks hanging on the walls. It is the music that is playing in the background and how the servers greet you. You create a visual reference and then relate that reference to the services and products. Before you know it, the next time you see red striped pajamas you have a craving for a 16 oz. steak smothered in Jack Daniel's sauce.
It's the reason why Apple can sell their products in such high volume. Why they are one of the most successful companies in the world. What would you think if you saw an Apple product that wasn't white or silver, that didn't look sleek and modern and didn't have the famous apple logo on it? You probably wouldn't think anything because you would likely look right over it. It is the difference between being the most successful company in the world and being bankrupt. Apple knows all about that, in fact before Apple had those sleek computers, ipods and iphones they had debt. Lots of it. All thanks to an overzealous entrepreneur who knew business, just didn't know how to deliver it. You get a group of designers in a room, let them hash it out and you have a new company, a new brand. You go from being obsolete to being relevant in the eyes of your consumers and that's just what they did.
Developing a brand isn't just about having the local graphic shop or friend of the family throw together a logo for $50. It's not about going to your local Staples and picking a template for your business cards and having them printed. It's about creating a style, an image and a voice that compliments your company's values and screams to the world "This is who we are, and this is why we are here!" I can guarantee you a basic graphic shop's logo or Staple's business card templates won't do it and you will pay dearly for that.
What you need is a logo that conveys a message, and doesn't just exist. You need branding that is modern and relevant. You need business cards that look great and say "Don't throw me away, I'm valuable." You need a style that is inviting and speaks volumes about your mission and your goals. You need to look better than your competition. You need to be consistent. You need professionally designed promotional material that captivates and intrigues. You need websites that pull the people out of their chairs and into your establishments. You need photography that makes them want more, makes their mouth water and tells a positive story about your company. You certainly can't get that for $50 and it definately won't be in any of the isles at your local Staples.
