Branding is one of the most neglected and misunderstood aspects of advertising. While we focus heavily on crafting the perfect message and capturing attention, branding often becomes an afterthought. Josh Manning, head brand thinker at Thinkerbell, challenges the conventional wisdom on branding in advertising, revealing that even the most iconic brands sometimes miss the mark.
Don’t Torture Your Assets Too Much
Playing with brand assets too much can render them unrecognizable. Research showed that despite using color and manipulating the logo shape, when "Heinz" was removed from "It has to be Heinz," hardly anyone recognized the brand. Similarly, only 28% identified a warped Coca-Cola bottle as belonging to the brand.
Context Can Aid Branding but Only If It’s Sufficiently Category Specific
Context can help with branding, but only if it's specific enough to the category. For example, British Airways and KFC benefited from showing an aircraft and a restaurant scene, respectively. However, without clear brand or category cues, ads can end up cuing other categories and brands instead.
Branding Doesn’t Have to Be Hamfisted
KFC, KitKat, and British Airways achieved high branding attribution (above 75%) without relying on massive logos or colored backgrounds. Incidental logo or product use, combined with strong category cues, can be just as effective.
Overall, Branding Deserves A LOT More Thought
Default methods like slapping a logo in the corner or making it big on the end frame are easy but often ineffective. Building and maintaining distinctive brand assets is just the first step; applying them thoughtfully is crucial. If even long-standing brands can get it wrong, it's a wake-up call for everyone in the industry to give branding the attention it deserves.
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