Many aspects form the foundations of brands, such as the logo, brand voice, values and many more.
These elements can be determined through the template of brand pillars.
However, the concept of brand pillars is uncommon knowledge for some, especially starting businesses in Malaysia.
The success of any business ties heavily to the consumers’ view of the brand. Thus, the creation of a brand’s identity is of utmost importance.
After all, consumers rely on their emotional decisions rather than logic when choosing brands.
That’s because consumers interact with businesses similar to people, they rely on gut feeling.
How well a brand resonates with a consumer can influence the potential of earning customers.
If brands are so reliant on consumers, are you establishing the right foundations for your brand?
If Not, Don’t Worry!
The 5 brand pillars act as a guide for any starting business owner in the creation of their brand.
These brand pillars is described as values and characteristics that will form your brand identity.
Although there are many methods to crafting a brand identity, following your business’s unique traits should be the main focus.
In fact, the 5 brand pillars are called “pillars” because they represent 5 “P” s. The 5 “P” s are Purpose, Perception, Personality, Position, and Promotion.
This framework breaks down the essential aspects of a brand that must be considered during conception.
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The 5 Brand Pillars And How To Use Them
1. Purpose
Identifying the purpose of your business is an excellent first step. Ask yourself questions such as: “Why does your brand exist?”
This simple question can be further elaborated through the following questions.
“How does your purpose make your brand unique?”
“What is the drive of your purpose?”
“Why did you choose this purpose?”
A brand’s purpose is similar to your brand’s “reason for being”. It determines a brand’s drive to stay committed to its target audience, product quality and services.
The decisions of your business should also work around your brand’s purpose. After all, consumers choose your brand and expect an experience that the brand promises.
Moreover, an established purpose also becomes a pull factor for future employees with the ideal personalities that resonate with the company.
In fact, many applicants look at the quality of a company as ideal workplaces in the current age!
2. Perception
How customers view a brand is defined as perception. The perception pillar is all about how your brand is viewed by existing and potential customers.
Perception is important because understanding how your brand is seen by others determine the chances of potential customers.
After all, information such as online presence, overall reputation, reviews, and many more are a crucial basis for customers to judge a brand.
There is no doubt that customers would rather trust a brand that has a good reputation than a negative one.
Understanding your brand’s perception from a consumer’s view is also a strategy in discovering the possible shortcomings and unknown strengths.
By asking yourself the following questions, you might grasp your brand’s perception:
“How do you describe your own brand?”
“How do they feel when they engage with your brand?”
“Is your brand playing the role you purposed for in your customer’s opinion?”
3. Personality
Are you aware that consumers interact with brands akin to people?
That’s right, your business has a “personality” whenever it engages with consumers.
The following questions can be used as a guide to assess your brand identity:
“What is the point of view of your brand?”
“What is the brand’s overall mood?”
“Does your brand offer good hospitality to customers?”
“How is your workplace culture like?”
Aspects such as your employee’s tone and brand mood all work in tandem to form your brand’s identity. It also differentiates you from competitors.
After all, consumers only become regulars when they know what to expect from you. Therefore, a brand’s identity is incredibly important and must be consistently practised.
Consumers aren’t the only individuals interacting with a brand’s personality either. Existing employees and future applicants can deduce your workplace culture from brand identity alone.
4. Positioning
Positioning can be described as where a brand is “positioned” in the minds of consumers.
Positioning goes hand-in-hand with perception.
One can attribute positioning as the “process” of perception before any cemented views are made. The conception of creating a brand that is viewed as either sophisticated, casual- or anything, falls into the category of positioning.
When a brand’s position is finalised, it becomes a good basis to work around brand strategies.
Here are some questions that can help identify a brand’s ideal positioning:
Who is the target audience?
What are they looking for from this brand?
Is the target audience the right focus for brand goals?
How does your positioning make you different from competition?
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5. Promotion
If pillars such as personality, perception, positioning and purpose design the characteristics of your brand, then promotion is how these characteristics are presented.
Brand promotion is about introducing, engaging, influencing and enticing customers to engage with the brand.
Although promotion sounds akin to product promotion, they are two different things. Promotion refers to brand promotion that builds a long-lasting relationship instead of a short transaction.
The communication channels you use online and offline are important choices for brand promotion. That’s because it determines the kind of branding strategies you can use.
Before you decide how you want to promote your brand, you should consider:
“Where can your customers find you?”
“Is your brand’s presence out of place?”
“Do you have an elevator pitch?”
“Who manages your brand?”
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Walk Production
Walk Production is a branding agency in Kuala Lumpur. We provide rebranding services, copywriting, and digital marketing to companies in Malaysia.
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