Be Brand not Bland

THE BRANDING PROCESS MADE SIMPLE

Your brand is your reputation. It's what people say about you when you're not in the room.

Some companies build great brands - brands that are more loved, command higher prices, create greater loyalty and devotion.

And they do that by managing their personality - what they look like and what they say.

That process is called 'branding'.

It starts with a clear and compelling BRAND PROMISE. This should clearly establish your unique 'why' - why you exist for them, and why they should prefer to buy from you. Your promise defines everything you do. And, just as importantly, it defines what you don't do.

That promise is delivered with a unique set of BRAND PROOFS. These are your 'how' - how you operate, what you believe, what you produce, what you offer - the ways in which you deliver your brand promise each and every day.

It is all brought to life visually by your BRAND IDENTITY. That's what you look like - your logo, your imagery, your colours, your typefaces, the 'look' of your content - be it in a brochure, a sales presentation, or a social media video.

And the final piece of the branding jigsaw is your BRAND MESSAGING. This is a clear and simple articulation of what you say about yourself in your marketing and through your products or services - ads, PR, presentations, packaging, social media, etc. These messages will consistently demonstrate the proofs of your brand promise.

And it shouldn't be any more complicated than that.

About me

For 15 years I was an ad-man in London.

I was lucky to work with some of the world’s best brands (BMW, BBC, LandRover, adidas to name a few). And I was lucky to learn from some of the world’s best admen, help create some of the world’s best ads, and end up as the Managing Director of Bates UK; one of London’s biggest ad agencies of that t

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For 15 years I was an ad-man in London.

But, by the mid-noughties, advertising had started to drop down the marketing pecking order. So I moved to Portugal, started a family, and became a brand-man, working via phone and email from home.

First, I did it as the Executive Director of a branding consultancy, and then for more than a dozen years as the Global Creative Director of the world’s largest online gaming company, PokerStars. During that time I built their internal agency, ‘Stars Creative’, and oversaw a huge output of creative work across branding, design, advertising and content.

Now I’m doing project work for people who have a great product and want an equally great brand. (Please get in touch if that’s you.)

My greatest belief is that there’s far more to life than work.

But when at work my core belief is in the phenomenal power of great brands. To attract and retain. To multiply profit margins. To be respected and loved.

I’ve learned a lot on my journey about what makes a great brand. And I’ve also learned HOW to make a great brand.

I know that convictions and beliefs lie at the heart of every great brand.

I know that a great brand is better defined by what it doesn’t do than by what it does.

I know that the branding process starts with a compelling brand promise, and ends with every single department in the company.

I know that for a brand to look great is crucial, but that alone is never enough.

And I know that any marketing director who wants to make ‘a brand ad’ is probably doing it wrong.

In my blog I’ve written down a few thoughts I’ve had over the years, mostly relating to branding. I hope they don’t waste your time.

Because I want you to be brand, not bland.

I’m chrisjherd@aol.com if you want to chat.

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Get in touch

Chris Herd
branding CONSULTANT

Chris Herd
branding CONSULTANT

be brand not bland - THE BOOK

SIMPLE, FAST, NO GOBBLEDYGOOK BRANDING