Brand Identity in a Nutshell
Briefly, brand identity is what a company seek to become. It refers to the unique set of characteristics and attributes that differentiate the brand in consumers’ minds. Contemporary brand identity represents a multisensory brand experience, including not only visual elements such as logo, slogan, tagline, mascot, …; but also other senses such as sonic identity (sound) e.g. music, and character voice (See Figure).
Brand identity is the opposite of brand image, don’t get confused here. While brand identity is about how a company wants to be perceived by its customers, brand image reflects consumers’ perception of the brand after actually experiencing and interacting with it.
For that reason, every company must have a brand manager whose primary job is to maintain the resemblance between its desired identity and actual image. I have written a blog about Brand Management to help you further understand the core difference between these 2 concepts.
Read more: Brand Management: How To Build Profitable Brand Equity in 2024
How has brand identity transformed in the digital era?
1. The rise of social media has redefined how brand identity works
‘Brand identity is now a customer-centric subject, which is co-created by brands and their customers. The rise of social media has empowered customers to participate in the dialogue with the brand and share their brand experience with others, making them an active contributor to brand identity.’
I have mentioned above that brand identity is a desire from the sender (or the brand). However, the rise of social media platforms with billions of users worldwide has transformed the process of creating brand identity for good. Nowadays, social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc give brands new opportunities to engage directly with their audience and co-create a distinctive identity. According to Ashlee Piga – CEO of Lotus Digital, user-generated content on social media is more reliable and authentic than branded content. To further elaborate, 90% of customers support brands due to their authenticity. Now, we just cannot ignore the active role of customers in brand identity creation anymore.
Hence, we may need to redefine how brand identity works. In my opinion, brand identity is no longer the intentional presentation of a brand’s values and image, driven by the brand itself. It is now more like a customer-centric subject, which is co-created by customers and tailored to meet their distinct needs.
2. The emergence of multisensory brand identity
‘Multisensory brand identity is becoming a priority as there is recently too much visual cues. The use of sonic identity (sound identity) is increasing as it positively affect young audience’s brand perception.’
In today’s connected world, we are increasingly recognising the power of engaging multiple senses to create immersive and memorable experiences for consumers. Brand identity not only encompasses visual cues such as logo, colour, etc, but it now also involves the brand’s presentation of its values through other senses (hearing, taste, smell, etc) which can somehow be strengthened by digital technology such as applying virtual reality in marketing to create a more personalised and multisensory buying experience online. Besides, a study on multisensory brand search finds that as we encounter an overwhelming abundance of choices in a typical supermarket nowadays, one effective way for marketers to enhance consumers’ intention to buy their products is to integrate other senses into shoppers’ buying journeys.
Among them, the use of sonic identity (or sound identity) is on the rise. The research conducted by YouGov suggests that 20% of young adults in the UK are more likely to buy products from a brand that has a typical and distinct sound. Besides, half of Gen Z agree that audio communications should be more widely used by brands as visual stimulation is currently overused.
3. Brand consistency in an omnichannel world
The COVID-19 pandemic has increasingly digitised customer interactions and customer-brand engagement. Research by McKinsey & Co. shows that 58% of the global population has already adopted the Internet to interact and engage with brands. Hence, this change may result in a new strategy for brands to improve and smoothen touchpoints in both physical and digital environments.
Yet, marketers today face the challenge of media fragmentation, which can lead to confusion among consumers if the cues of brand identity are not wisely executed on different platforms. For instance, if a brand’s logo appears differently on its website compared to its social media profiles or product packaging, consumers will set doubt on the authenticity and reliability of the brand.
To sum up, brand identity should remain consistent across different touchpoints to secure trust and loyalty from the audience. Inconsistent messaging in an omnichannel world may confuse consumers about the brand’s values, positioning, and offerings.
6 Facets of Brand Identity – Kapferer’s Brand Prism
Having been proposed by Jean-Noël Kapferer in his book “The New Strategic Brand Management: Creating and Sustaining Brand Equity Long Term” in 2008, brand identity prism remains a handy tool for companies to understand how their brand identities are supposed to look like in reality. The reason behind this framework is that a successful brand should have its own personality traits, beliefs, and intrinsic values (see Figure below).
1. Physique
To Kapferer, brand physique represents all tangible and functional aspects of a brand that consumers interact with firsthand. Brand physique should be determined first as it creates a last impression on consumers. We all know that a brand’s physical appearance, such as its logo, packaging, and product design, is often the first thing that consumers notice and remember. These visual cues help differentiate the brand from its competitors and form strong associations in the minds of consumers.
Let’s take a quick look at the image below before returning to the blog. Can you tell which brand the figure describes? It’s Disney with its iconic physique – Disneyland and Walt Disney World, from the Cinderally’s castle to Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Just by looking at the magical image, we may have a feeling of creativity, imagination, and family orientation. All of them are symbols of Disney’s brand identity.
2. Personality
A company only has a brand when it can associate some specific personality traits with the brand through communications. Around 57.5% of consumers prefer brands that have a specific personality. Why does this happen? Well, this behaviour refers to the self-congruity theory, first proposed by Dr Jospeh Sirgy in 1986. The theory reveals that we are more likely to buy brands that are congruent with our self-image or self-concept. In other words, we prefer a brand that reflects our personality traits, values, and aspirations as it gives us a sense of connection and resonance.
3. Culture
Culture involves principles that guide the brand forward to achieve its aspirations. The culture of a brand explains why it serves a specific market with a specific product in a specific approach. Kapferer believes that culture sets the brand apart from its like-minded competitors.
While the culture of Coca-Cola is deeply rooted in American tradition, nostalgia, and universal togetherness; we perceive Pepsi’s culture as more dynamic, youthful, and somehow edgy even though their cola tastes the same.
4. Relationship
The concept of relationship refers to the emotional and psychological connections that consumers form with a brand. This is known as the expression of consumers’ identity.
Nike’s relationship with consumers is built on empowerment and provocation, encouraging individuals to push their limits and embrace their potential. Meanwhile, Apple conveys a sense of friendliness and accessibility, positioning itself as a trusted companion in the world of technology.
Finally, a brand needs to build a sustainable relationship with its target audience to engage them on a deeper level, gaining more trust and advocacy. In a study on Brand Relationship Dimensions conducted in 2007 (see references below), it was found that a strong relationship between consumers and a brand enables the brand to better defend against negative publicity. This is because customers are more likely to resist or ignore information that contradicts their self-concept connection with the brand.
5. Self-image
A brand speaks to our self-image. Brand identity involves the feelings of consumers after using its products. As I have mentioned above, people love brands that share personality traits, values, and aspirations. They want to remain authentic and hate becoming a different self after buying a brand. Simply speaking, brands serve as a means for consumers to express and reinforce their image to themselves and others.
For instance, Gucci’s self-image is characterised by its iconic double-G logo, bold designs, and innovative creativity, reflecting a sense of confidence and self-expression. All these aspects aim to make consumers feel opulent, glamorous, and exclusive when buying a new Gucci item.
6. Reflection
Reflection is the opposite of self-image. It’s how the public perceives the brand’s target audience. People who love Coca-Cola are perceived as fun-loving, sociable individuals. They enjoy sharing moments of togetherness with friends and family. In contrast, Pepsi’s consumers look more youthful and energetic, embracing life to the fullest. In this case, reflection helps people imagine what would they look like if they became consumers of a specific brand. To conclude, reflection is the desired self-image of the target audience.
A new mindset to think about your brand identity
Beyond logo: crafting multisensory brand experiences
The first way to think about brand identity now is to stop seeing it as simply a logo and other visual elements. Brand identity must incorporate components that engage multiple senses to create a more interactive and memorable brand experience.
Even a multisensory in-store experience can improve people’s attitudes and purchase intent to the brands. Research by Mood Media and Walnut Unlimited discovers that the use of sound and smell in physical stores can enhance people’s moods and emotional bond with the brand. This leads to an impressive figure that 78% of consumers prefer to make purchases offline, 90% say a multisensory shopping experience motivates them to visit the store in the future.
Co-creation: empowering customers as brand ambassadors
Having understood the importance of customers in building up your brand identity, it’s now a ripe time to empower and turn customers into your brand ambassadors and advocates. Simply speaking, these unpaid advocates help the brand spread the message which constitutes its identity by sharing it with friends, contributing directly to the brand’s product concept and improvement, etc.
By embracing a co-creation mindset, brands invite customers to actively participate in shaping the brand identity, values, and offerings. Whether through feedback forums, user-generated content campaigns, or product design initiatives on social media, involving customers in the brand-building process not only fosters a sense of ownership and loyalty but also ensures that the brand remains relevant and resonant with its target audience.
Authenticity in brand identity
Authenticity refers to the degree to which consumers perceive a brand as genuine and consistent with its promise and interaction with them. This also means that your desired identity should be well-executed across communication channels. The brand needs to live up to its essence (vision, mission, values) while empowering audiences to express their true selves in the relationship with the brand.
In other words, brand identity should be original and consistent, reflecting the brand’s unique personality and culture. Let’s take Apple as an example of brand authenticity. We all know that Apple’s identity is synonymous with innovation, simplicity, and elegance. Apple remains committed to all attributes and sustains its identity no matter how quickly the technology market evolves. From the sleek product design and minimal packaging to the friendly, innovative retail experience (See Figures below), consistency is key to helping Apple reinforce its brand identity as a pioneer in technology and innovation.
Read more: Brand Equity: How to build it and secure your brand success
[wpforms id=”411″ title=”true”]
Academic sources for this blog:
Cheung, M.L., Pires, G.D., Rosenberger, P.J., De Oliveira, M.J. (2020) Driving consumer–brand engagement and co-creation by brand interactivity. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 38(4), pp.523-541.
Knoeferle, K.M., Knoeferle, P., Velasco, C., and Spence, C. (2016) Multisensory Brand Search: How the Meaning of Sounds Guides Consumers’ Visual Attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology. 22(2), pp.196-210.
Södergren, J. (2020) Brand authenticity: 25 years of research. International Journal of Consumer Studies. 45(4), pp.645-663.
Swaminathan, V., Page, K.L., and Gürhan‐Canli, Z. (2007) “My” Brand or “Our” Brand: The Effects of Brand Relationship Dimensions and Self‐construal on Brand Evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research. 34(2), pp.248-259.
Sy Chu
As an analytical and creative marketing enthusiast skilled in customer analysis, content research and brand management, my passion is help businesses gain insights into their brand and marketing strategies to drive impactful outcome to their success.