At Proof, we have the pleasure of working with a lot of different and very unique folks – which is one of the great parts of our job. Not only do we get to learn about many different industries, but we also get to experience different perspectives on our own.
Prior to getting started, we ask each client to fill out a Brand Landscape. It sounds fancy (I know), but basically, it’s just a questionnaire that helps us get to know our new clients a little better and understand exactly what type of brand we’re getting ready to build.
One of the questions on this Landscape is, “In your opinion, what makes a brand – any brand – “memorable”? (If you want to know some of the other questions, feel free to become a client anytime!)
Well, last week we had the pleasure of hosting an Understanding Your Branding workshop for a client, Joy Malek, MFT, and here was her response to that question:
I think that what makes a brand memorable is the lingering vision for your own life that it leaves you with. You see yourself using the product, feeling identified with the spirit of the product. You see yourself and your life with what that product can give you, and you want to move toward that version of your life. A brand is memorable when it elicits an emotion in you that you want to move toward. I think that when you remember the brand, you are really remembering the way it made you feel.
How absolutely true! In fact, this might be one of my favorite definitions of branding I’ve heard to date. Stellar design certainly makes an impression – and it might help people remember your brand – but the real magic of your brand is something that can’t happen behind a graphic designer’s mouse.
The real magic of your brand is in the story you tell and how you invite your audience to be a part of it. It’s in how you fill a void or answer a question better or differently than everyone else. It’s in the world you make possible for people.
Part of what we do at Proof is help you figure out how you already do those things and how you can do them better. But, at the end of the day, it’ll always be up to you to build relationships, offer great customer service, and create an experience that gets people interested – but more importantly – makes them feel.