I’d like you to think of your favourite brand right now.
Notice how your head is full of images, memories and feelings now, even though you just thought about a single company’s product?
From the first time you bought an Apple iPhone or stepped into a pair of Nikes, to your favourite brand of ice cream as a kid, the brands you love have become an integral part of your life.
That’s the power of branding - and it’s the type of power your business needs to succeed.
Brands - hard to define, but instantly recognisable
For something we talk about so much, a brand is strangely difficult to define.
Is it your company logo? Your website design? The distinctive features of your product? Your awesome social media presence? Your team that goes the extra mile for every customer?
Actually, it’s all of those things and more. Your brand is the sum total of everything that comes to mind when someone sees or hears your company name. It’s the essence of your company’s being.
Whatever comes to mind when customers, competitors and the guy sitting at a corner table sipping his organic latte think about your business - that’s your brand. If the associations in their minds are good - you’re in for a win. If they are bad, you have some serious work to do.
That’s why branding design is so important. It can literally make the difference between success and failure.
And that’s why we’re so passionate about branding. It springs from our passion for your business and your future success.
Your brand can be one of your most valuable assets - if you invest in it.
Let’s talk about something random for a minute. Coca-Cola. It may not be the healthiest drink out there, but it sells like crazy.
In fact, the company estimates that a whacking 650 billion servings of its secret sugar and caffeine cocktail are downed each year.
That’s about 100 servings for every man, woman and child on earth. Makes you think.
So, what makes billions of people drink Coke every day?
Branding. Plain and simple.
Analysts estimate that just over half of Coca-Cola’s asset value comes from its brand. Let’s step back for a moment and put that into perspective.
A global corporation that has factories, distribution centres, trucks, vending machines, office buildings and other assets all over the world could sell them all tomorrow - and end up with less money than their brand is worth.
Now that’s what you call the true value - and power - of branding.
And in case you were wondering, the healthy Vitamin Water you drank this morning? That’s owned by Coke too.
Tech companies thrive on branding - and your business can too.
OK, so Coke is an old-school example - and it’s only the sixth biggest brand in the world today. Let’s talk about today’s tech leaders, because they also happen to be branding leaders.
● Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook - today’s tech giants - are masters of branding - no wonder we know them so well.
● Together, these tech brands are worth a mind-blowing $684 billion - more than R10 trillion.
● None of these companies manufacture anything, and most of their value is created in the digital realm. That doesn’t stop them from totally dominating the list of most valuable brands.
Don’t you think it’s time we started working on your brand?
How the branding process works
Before we craft awesome logos and an intuitive website to delight your customers, we need to understand who you are, what your business does really really well, and what people think about it.
If you’re a start-up, you have a fresh, clean slate to work with. You have the unique opportunity to make your presence felt in the market and become a brand that people love.
Then again, if your business has been around for a while and you’ve been serving customers successfully, you have skin in the game. With the advantage of experience, and a customer base you can reach out to, you can find out exactly what people love - and don’t love - about your products and services.
Once you know who you are as a company and who your customers are, you’re almost ready to begin your branding journey. There’s just one more thing you need to think about - competitors.
Knowing who your competitors are means knowing who’s out there trying to woo your customers. The better they are, the better you’ll need to be. In fact, competitors do us a huge favour by forcing us to up our game.
When we brand our clients’ businesses, we take everything into consideration. From the layout of your website to the fine shades of colour on your logo, we have one thing in mind: making your brand stand out so that you delight your customers, attract new ones, and finish streets ahead of your competitors.
Branding: what Cloudfusion can do for your business
At Cloudfusion we have a simple but powerful belief: your brand is your business. Here’s how we build great brands for fantastic companies.
● Brand strategy - every great brand begins with a great plan. We’ll help you name, position, and build your brand with the perfect tone of voice.
● Core identity - your brand is unique and deserves to be known by all. From logo design to brand identity guidelines, we make sure your brand is present and instantly recognisable out there.
● Marketing collateral - your brand should inspire everything you do. We design marketing materials, retail spaces, packaging and other visual tools that bring your brand to life in all aspects of your business.
Sometimes results speak for themselves - what our customers have to say
“Incredible service! Very dynamic and broad know-how on web development, creative design and seo strategy. My project was not simple and the results exceeded my expectations. You can't go wrong with these guys!" - Rolf W. Schlub
“They were extremely quick and responsive! I used Cloudfusion to assist me with transferring my logo into several different formats. Also, I requested a social media kit. Service delivery was sooner than expected! I highly recommend that you use this company!” - Danita Crawford
“Impeccable service and support. I recommend Cloudfusion without hesitation. These guys are making waves in the industry. Watch this space.” - Bryce Proome
Ready to take your brand to new heights? So are we!
If your business is ready to fly, a great brand will definitely give it wings. To learn more about our branding offering, contact the Cloudfusion team today.
