The real reason for branding is for ease of identification and communication.
Thus, logos, slogans, and websites.
Because as much as we’d like to refer you to Mr. Johnson right down the road around the corner, by the way, he doesn’t take appointments, you just have to show up, and sometimes they’re closed on Wednesdays. You probably shouldn’t go around 12 pm because he’ll be eating lunch and it’s best not to — We live in a busy world and we really just don’t have time for that.
So businesses come up with logos, color schemes and what not to make it easy for us to:
- Not just easily identify.
- But for us to talk about.
- Particularly, for us to tell others about your business, versus having to tell you that Mr. Johnson right down the road around the corner… well, you get the idea.
I think that’s the real reason for branding. And I think that’s why businesses should strive to at least try and make a logo, or a slogan, or a distinctive colorway, to make it easy to identify because then the good you are doing for the world can be easily passed on.
- "Just do it"
- "You'll see the golden arches"
- "Yeah, just look for the Apple"
Let me reiterate. Fancy branding isn’t the point. It should never be the point. But it is a great tool to use in your favor. It really doesn’t hurt to spend just a little bit of time and resources on your branding especially if it means it can help grow your business exponentially.
It’s not about you. It’s about your customers. Better yet, it’s about your customer’s customers. Sure, there’s the Internet, but how do most of us decide which businesses to give our hard earned money to? By asking our friends where we should go. It’s still true, to this day, we trust our friends more than we trust Google. And I don’t think that’s ever going to change. (Unless, maybe, when it comes to directions).
by Jason Lam