“A brand is the essence, it is the life-force. It’s much more than what you see – it’s emotional, it’s an atmosphere, an experience, a connection. It’s made up of all the little things your business or organization represents. Your brand is not entirely defined by you. For better or worse, your customers, clients and fans have a big hand in crafting a brand identity. This is why it’s imperative to tap into your audience’s psyche and provide something that’s truly memorable.” – Matt Cheuvront
Four years ago, we officially opened the doors at Proof and began our branding adventure (thanks, LinkedIn, for the friendly reminder). It’s pretty unbelievable to write that. My, what an adventure it has been.
We challenged ourselves on day one to define the word “brand” and what you see above is what I came up with. It’s raw, relatively unpolished, and a little dramatic, so I turned to my team and asked for their one word definition of “brand”…here’s what they submitted:
Story. Identity. Intangible. Distinction. Character.
The brands we know and love represent each of these definitions…
- Compelling brands are distinct and memorable.
- Compelling brands evoke an intangible experience and emotion.
- Compelling brands know who they are and what they represent at the core of their identity.
- Compelling brands tell compelling stories.
- Compelling brands are human – they possess personality and character that resonates.
To add to these definitions, as well as my own, compelling brands have impact. They’re backed by ideas and the human potential to do something great.
At Proof, we make things possible. We build brands and equip them with the ideas, plans, and platforms to do something even greater than they thought possible.
That’s what we do – and that’s what we’ll keep doing in the years ahead.
Cheers to four more years!