Regular readers of Branding Strategy Insider know we welcome and answer marketing questions of all types. Today, Barbara, a marketer from Washington, D.C. writes…
“I am looking for articles that address the question of how consistent must a brand be in order to still be effective. Are you aware of any research that shows that a slight departure from a brand, e.g., a slight departure from a dress code of a retailer, would or would not have a significant effect on a brand?”
Thanks for your question Barbara. Consistency truly is the name of the game in brand identity. The more consistent the brand is across all customer touch points and over time, the more the brand will have made a firm impression on people and will be easily recognized by people. I know this from years of experience with brands that have done this well and brands that have done this not as well.
Regarding specific research to back it up, I would consult one of the following publications:
By the way, consistent execution of the brand identity does not need to lack creativity or be uninspired. A comprehensive and flexible brand identity system will allow for optimal use of a brand's identity in a variety of situations while still providing for the consistency required for easy brand recognition.
I wish you great success in managing your brand's identity consistently.
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Just wanted to point out the exception I always think of when posed with this question:
I think that for most consistency is the goal, but then I think of Burton snowboards and how they change their mark frequently (annually for a while)… referring back and forth to current and previous brands along the way.
I want to say “well, it’s Burton!”, but the theory is they should lose some recognition when they switch up the mark.
Each of their marks has a very tight and consistent feel to itself, but I can think of 5 or 6 logos Burton uses interchangeably.
Again, I brand many small businesses without a brand management and standards department, so I am for the consistency (especially because small businesses try to get all whimsical and crazy when things can be so simple), but want to expand the thinking on this to help further the conversation.
Oh, a helpful link to show – http://burton.kontain.com/burton/entries/77572/throwback-thursday—logos/
One of the most important aspects of branding is that it MUST remain consistent through all communications channels. This includes employees and, to a smaller extent, suppliers, distributors and other business partners. As principals of a company, we must ensure that consistent brand is present through all levels of the organization. This can only be successful through training our people how to represent our message.
Long gone are the days where upper management are the only ones talking to the public at large. The lowest employee in the chain can play a much bigger role in brand awareness, both positive and negative (think Social Media) than ever thought possible.
I think you could make an argument for Google too. The front page always has a new and interesting design and it’s become a signature move of Google.
But that front page is just one of many consumer touch points.
Brad, Can you expand on the role that brand consistency plays in brand loyalty? Do you have any research or examples to share to support the statement that the more consistently a brand is represented across all customer touch points the more loyal consumers are to that brand?
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In terms of advertising, I think some brands that demonstrate this very well are Absolut Vodka and a more recent example might be Apple’s Mac and PC ads.
Just a thought.