There’s more to branding than a logo, a couple of fonts, and a few colors. Creative branding that reflects who you are and what you do takes time, thought, and skill. If you’re considering a rebrand in 2022, here are four types of creative brand strategies that you may want to use in the process.
1. Corporate Branding
Apple, Target, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Chevy—our guess is that you could immediately conjure up the logos for each of these companies (and likely their latest ad). Corporate branding is the most recognizable creative branding strategy.
Every successful business has a corporate brand strategy. Your corporate brand includes logos, fonts and colors, slogans, symbols, and your brand’s voice. These elements work together to become your company’s identity in the market. If you’ve invested the time and money into creating a corporate brand, be sure to use it across all of your marketing efforts, from print design to website design and social media.
2. Product Branding
Apple is a corporate brand recognizable all on its own, but so are its product brands for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. These are all examples of effective product branding.
Product branding is just what it sounds like—the branding of a company’s particular product or service. It is particularly effective if your company is defined by the product or products it sells. Product branding shows up everywhere if you know where to look. The look and style of your favorite HBO show? That’s product branding. Waiting for McDonald’s Shamrock Shake to finally be back? All that hype is product branding (and marketing, of course).
3. Personal Branding
For many of us, we are our company. We may be solopreneurs or run a small staff. Either way, the success of our company rises and falls with our efforts, and we’re the face of our business. In this case, developing a personal brand may be helpful.
Unless you’re a celebrity (think Fenty Beauty by Rihanna), your personal brand will not likely include a logo with your name in it. But it will include how you present yourself to the world as your company’s leader. Your personal brand strategy will define the look and feel of your headshot, how you communicate with clients and colleagues (are you formal? Informal? Funny? Serious? Straight to the point?), and how you dress when you’re networking or meeting with clients.
4. Umbrella Branding
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Mr. Clean 2-in-1 Brush. Mr. Clean Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist. Mr. Clean Hard Surface Floor Duster. The main man in cleaning does get around. Mr. Clean is an example of successful umbrella branding. The brand is the property of Proctor & Gamble (which has its own corporate brand). Mr. Clean is the face (literally) of a group of cleaning products, from cleaning liquids to scrubbers.
If you have a group of related products, it may make sense to develop some umbrella branding to keep them all together under the same roof. By doing so, you create a single brand consumers trust. The products may be different or new, but if they see an umbrella brand they like and use, the more likely they are to try out other products in the line.
Which creative branding strategies are you most likely to use in 2022? Whatever makes the most sense for you, the Balius creative team is here to help make it happen. Get in touch with us today to get started on your creative branding project.