Tag: Branding

Are you contemplating a rebrand?

Ten things to consider when you’re contemplating a rebrand:

So, you’ve looked at your brand and thought, ‘It’s time for a refresh’ … well we’ve come up with our ten things to consider before you take that leap!

Customer Perception

Pro: A successful rebrand can increase brand relevance, potentially attracting new customers.

Con: A rebrand risks alienating existing customers loyal to the original brand.

Market Changes

Pro: A rebrand can help a business remain competitive if the market changes or has changed.

Con: You may react too quickly to trends, leading to a rebrand that will seem dated quickly.

Brand Reputation

Pro: A rebrand can distance a company from negative perceptions.

Con: If the rebrand is seen as an attempt to cover up serious issues, it could harm the brand further.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Pro: Rebranding can be an effective way to unify different company cultures and values.

Con: You risk losing the acquired brand’s equity and customer loyalty.

Business Growth and Expansion

Pro: A rebrand can reflect an expanded product line or entry into new markets.

Con: Over-diversification may dilute the brand’s core message and must be clarified for customers.

Visual Identity

Pro: Refreshing the brand’s look can make it more contemporary and appealing.

Con: Radical changes to the visual identity can lead to a loss of brand recognition.

Differentiation

Pro: Rebranding can set you apart from competitors.

Con: Finding a unique positioning still authentic to your brand can be challenging.

Internal Alignment

Pro: A rebrand can galvanise employees around a new vision.

Con: You may encounter resistance from employees attached to the old brand.

Financial Costs

Pro: Investing in a rebrand can yield significant returns in the long run.

Con: The financial costs can be high, and the return on investment is not guaranteed.

Time and Resources

Pro: Dedicating time to a rebrand can result in a more cohesive and effective brand strategy.

Con: Rebranding is time-consuming and can distract from other business activities.

 

If you’re still thinking, ‘Let’s do this’, let’s talk!

 

 

The Essential Guide to Brand Codes

CRACKING THE ‘BRAND CODE’ CODE

A brand is much more than just a name or a logo.

The unique combination of elements, your brand codes/assets, create a distinctive identity and communicates your company’s values, personality, and promise to your customers.

Decoding Brand Codes: What Are They?

You might be wondering, “What on earth are brand codes?” Brand codes, or brand assets, are unique, distinctive elements that help your brand stand out.

They can be visual (like your logo), auditory (a catchy jingle), olfactory (the scent of your product), or even tactile (the feel of your packaging). They make up the essence of your brand, from your name and colours to your typography and tagline.

Why Do They Matter?
Brand Recognition

The more distinctive and consistent your brand codes are, the easier it will be for customers to spot your brand in a bustling marketplace.

Emotional Connection

A well-crafted brand code can spark emotions and associations, adding depth and richness to your brand’s identity.

Consistency

By consistently using your brand codes across all touchpoints, you ensure a unified brand experience, fostering trust and loyalty.

Competitive Advantage

Brand codes that are unique and memorable can give your brand a leg-up in the marketplace.

Brand Codes in Action – who has got it cracked …
Coca-Cola

Their distinctive red and white colour scheme, cursive logo, and unique bottle shape are instantly recognisable worldwide.

Apple

Apple’s minimalist design, monochrome colour palette, sleek product aesthetics, and bitten Apple logo contribute to a brand code that communicates innovation, simplicity, and premium quality. Their product design is also a significant brand code, with their devices’ clean, sleek look being a hallmark of the Apple brand.

Nike

The “swoosh” logo and their punchy tagline “Just Do It” are potent brand codes that resonate worldwide.

McDonald’s

A memorable jingle – “I’m lovin’ it” – Bet you’re singing it in your head right now! That, along with the “Golden Arches” logo, is a testament to the power of brand codes.

Chanel

Their interlocked “CC” logo, the use of black and white in their packaging, their signature quilted bag design, and the distinctive scent of Chanel No. 5 are classic examples of brand codes.

These brands have expertly utilised their brand codes to create a unique, instantly recognisable identity that resonates with their target audience and communicates their brand values effectively.

How to Egg-cel at Using Brand Codes
Consistency is Key

Once you’ve hatched your brand codes, use them consistently across all marketing channels and touchpoints

Storytelling

Use your brand codes to tell your brand’s story. It’s not just about what you sell but the story you tell!

Flexibility

While consistency is important, don’t be afraid to let your brand evolve. Adapt your brand codes as needed, but ensure they maintain a clear connection to your brand identity.

Protect Your Brand Codes

If you can, register trademarks for your brand name, logo, and other unique brand codes. This helps ensure they remain uniquely yours.

Measure the Impact

Use brand tracking studies to see how well your brand codes are doing. Does your target audience recognise them? Do they evoke the emotions you intended?

IN A NUT(EGG)-SHELL

To crack the code of branding, remember that brand codes encompass visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile elements, and they’re crucial for brand recognition, emotional connection, consistency, and gaining a competitive edge.

Maintain consistency, weave a compelling brand story, be flexible yet connected, protect your codes, and measure their impact. Remember, it’s not just big brands that can benefit from brand codes. Whether you’re a big business or a small start-up, it’s time to “Codify, Codify, Codify!” as Mark Ritson, renowned professor and Marketing Week columnist, would famously assert!

So, let’s get cracking and hatch a brand that’s truly yours! Let’s talk!

 

 

The power of colour

Colour can evoke so many different emotions and feelings, it can create associations, and can even influence purchasing decisions so no wonder it is a powerful tool in branding.

It can help companies communicate their message and values to their audience plus create a visual identity that is instantly recognisable and memorable.

Colour can be used to influence consumer behaviour as it has a profound effect on the way we think and feel. It can make us feel happy, sad, angry, or calm. It can also make us feel more or less hungry, more or less energetic, and more or less confident – so pick your colour wisely!

Different colours have different associations. For example, red is often associated with love, passion, and excitement, while blue is often associated with calmness, peace, and trust. These associations can be used to create a desired emotional response in consumers.

For example, a brand that wants to create a sense of excitement might use bright colours like red and orange. A brand that wants to create a sense of calm might use soft colours like blue and green.

Each colour has its own unique meaning and triggers and below we’ll explore the common colours used in branding:

RED

The Colour of Passion and Energy

Red is a bold and powerful colour that can evoke feelings of passion, energy and excitement.

It’s often used in branding to grab attention and create a sense of urgency. It can also be seen as a warning and can even evoke feelings of anger or aggression, so use it wisely!

Brand example – Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola has been associated with the colour red since the 1890s, symbolising energy, excitement and passion, which are all qualities that align with the company’s brand values of happiness and fun. Additionally, red is a highly noticeable colour that stands out on shelves, making it an effective way to attract attention and compete with other soft drink brands. You know the brand is there before you even see it!

Coca-Cola’s use of red has become so iconic that the colour is now synonymous with the brand. The company has used the colour in countless advertising campaigns, and even decorates its delivery trucks and vending machines in the trademark shade of red.

 

ORANGE

The Colour of Fun and Playfulness

Orange is a vibrant and playful colour that can evoke feelings of fun and energy.  It’s associated with warmth, happiness and excitement.

It’s often used in branding for products aimed at younger audiences, such as Fanta. The brand’s bright orange logo and packaging are instantly recognisable and help to communicate the brand’s fun and playful personality.

Another brand example – Orange (before it became EE)

Orange’s orange symbolised energy, enthusiasm, and friendliness, which aligned with the company’s brand values of being approachable and customer focused. Orange also wanted a colour that would stand out in the telecommunications industry, which was dominated by blue and green colours.  They really did stand out in the market!

 

YELLOW

The Colour of Happiness and Optimism

Yellow is a cheerful and optimistic colour that can evoke feelings of happiness and positivity.  It is associated with joy and creativity!

One example of a brand that uses yellow is McDonald’s.  McDonald’s has used yellow as one of its brand colours since the early 1960s, it symbolises optimism, energy, and happiness, which are all qualities that align with the company’s brand values of being a family-friendly and fun brand.

The fast-food giant’s iconic golden arches are instantly recognisable and help to communicate the brand’s friendly and approachable personality.

 

GREEN

The Colour of Growth and Sustainability

Green is a calming and peaceful colour that can evoke feelings of growth, nature and sustainability.

It’s often used in branding for companies that value sustainability and the environment, such as The Body Shop.  Green represents nature, sustainability, and ethical values, which are at the heart of the company’s brand ethos. The Body Shop is committed to using only natural and sustainably sourced ingredients in its products, and green is a colour that perfectly reflects this commitment.

 

BLUE

The Colour of Trust and Stability

Blue is associated with calmness, trust, and stability. It is also seen as a peaceful and calming colour that can evoke feelings of serenity and calmness.

It’s often used in branding for financial and tech companies, such as Barclays Bank and Facebook.

Brand Example – Barclays Bank

The brand’s blue and white logo and branding help to communicate the brand’s trustworthy and dependable personality.  It represents stability, and reliability, which are key values in the banking industry. Blue is also a colour that is associated with intelligence and professionalism, which helps to reinforce Barclays’ position as a leading provider of financial services in the UK.

Brand Example – Facebook

As a social media platform, Facebook is responsible for handling a vast amount of personal data from its users, and blue is a colour that helps to communicate the company’s commitment to keeping that data safe and secure. We know it’s not always the case with Mr Zuckerberg – but his brand is designed to make us feel we can trust him!

Blue is a colour that is also associated with communication, and Facebook’s use of blue helps to reinforce the company’s role as a platform for connecting people and facilitating conversation.

 

PURPLE

Purple – The Colour of Luxury and Sophistication

Purple is associated with luxury, elegance, and sophistication. It is also seen as a creative and imaginative colour that can evoke feelings of mystery and magic.

Brand Example – Cadbury

Cadbury has used purple as its brand colour since 1914, allegedly as a tribute to Queen Victoria.  it symbolised luxury, quality, and sophistication. Purple is also associated with creativity, imagination, and innovation, which aligned with Cadbury’s brand values of creativity and quality.  Over the years they’ve battled many legal fights over their colour, so choose your brand colour carefully!

 

PINK

The Colour of Love and Care

Pink is a gentle and nurturing colour that can evoke feelings of love, care and warmth.

It’s often used in branding for products aimed at women and girls, such as Barbie. The brand’s iconic pink and white packaging helps to communicate the brand’s caring and nurturing personality.

Brand Example – Victoria’s Secret

Victoria’s Secret is known for its feminine and playful branding, which incorporates a range of pastel colours, including pink. The company uses pink to create a sense of romance, sensuality, and femininity, which aligns with its focus on lingerie and women’s beauty products.

In addition to its iconic pink packaging and shopfronts, Victoria’s Secret also uses pink in its marketing materials, product design, and social media content. This creates a consistent and recognisable brand identity that is instantly recognisable to customers.  They use their brand codes well!

 

BLACK

The Colour of Power and Elegance

Black is a powerful and elegant colour that can evoke feelings of sophistication and class.

It’s often used in branding for luxury and high-end products, such as Chanel.

Chanel is known for its timeless and elegant branding.  The company uses black to create a sense of sophistication, luxury, and high-end fashion, which aligns with its focus on creating high-quality and stylish clothing and accessories.

In addition to its iconic black and white logo, Chanel uses black in its product design, packaging, and marketing materials. This creates a consistent and recognisable brand identity that is instantly associated with luxury and high fashion.

 

WHITE

The Colour of Purity and Simplicity

White is a clean and simple colour that can evoke feelings of calm and tranquillity.  It’s associated with purity and innocence.

It’s often used in branding for products that value simplicity and minimalism, such as Apple.

Apple is known for its branding, and it incorporates a lot of white space in its product design, packaging, and marketing materials. The company uses white to create a sense of simplicity, elegance, and modernity, which aligns with its focus on creating innovative and user-friendly technology products.

In addition to its iconic white products, such as the iPhone and MacBook, Apple also uses white in its marketing campaigns and retail store design. This creates a brand identity that is instantly associated with high-quality and innovative technology.

 

What does your brand colour mean to you? 

And more importantly, what does it mean to your customers?

 

Need help developing your brand identity?  Let’s talk!

 

 

Marketing vs Branding

One question that we’re asked a lot by small business owners is what is the difference between marketing and branding … and, which should come first?

Marketing and branding are closely related and both incredibly important. But they are not the same thing and there are some fundamental differences between the two.

Here’s our breakdown of the key differences:

Marketing:

Marketing is the process of promoting and selling your products, services or company.

It involves identifying and understanding your customer needs, developing a marketing strategy to reach those customers, and executing that strategy through tactics like advertising, PR, digital and social media.

Branding:

Branding is the process of creating a unique identity and reputation for your product, service or company.

It involves defining your brand’s values, personality, and purpose, and communicating that identity through visual elements like logos, colours and typography, as well as key messaging and storytelling.

While marketing and branding are quite distinct, they are both essential components of building a successful business. In fact, branding is often seen as a prerequisite for effective marketing. Without a strong brand identity and reputation, marketing efforts can fall flat or fail to resonate with your customers.

So, we believe that branding should ideally come first!

By developing a clear and compelling brand identity, you can then develop a marketing strategy that aligns with that identity and effectively reaches your target audience.

A strong brand can also help to differentiate your company from its competitors and create a loyal customer base, which can ultimately support the success of marketing efforts.

 

Need help developing your brand or marketing strategy?  Let’s talk!

NEW CLIENT: SCA

The Scottish Canoe Association tasked us with the re-brand for their Grandtully Station Campsite – we needed to create two variants:  Grandtully Station Park and Grandtully Station Campsite plus have versions with and without a strapline block.

It’s always lovely to work with a team who gave us completely free reign when it came to the brief so after a couple of ‘discovery conversations’ (virtually of course!), we came up with a deck of concepts – very quickly they decided on their preferred route and the new brand started to come alive!

We can’t wait to see the official launch ready for the summer season!

 

“Working with Karen and the chicken/egg team was a breeze! They delivered everything, and more, from our initial brief, and interpreted our needs, wants and feedback perfectly at every stage of the project. Karen provided direction where needed and absolutely nothing was too much trouble. For a small non-profit organisation, being able to work with an agency of this calibre and to access their expertise at an affordable cost is invaluable to us. We’re looking forward to moving forward with the project, just so that we can work with Chief Chicken and her flock again.”

Mikaela West | Event and Communication Officer

 

Shh! New Client alert ...

We were really excited to be awarded a branding job for a new product launch within the PALLITE® range – it will be stand-alone brand and it was a fast-paced, quick turnaround project …

… We’re not allowed to say anymore until the launch but the client was over the moon!

“Chicken/egg were recommended to us and they didn’t disappoint! We had a tight brief with a short lead time and they went above and beyond expectations regardless of the timescales. They’re creative, professional, inciteful, and approachable – I’d recommend them to anyone.”

Stephanie Munn DipDigM  – Marketing Manager
We’ll share our designs as soon they go live … so, watch this space!
Making sweet music!

It was great fun working with the wonderful charity Steel Pan Trust – they needed a re-vamped logo and some marketing collateral for their upcoming Camden Pop-Up events.

Quick turnaround & small budgets don’t scare the chicken/egg coop from hatching great work!

 

Supporting small businesses

When we were asked to help create a brand identity for a local florist – who has also been a part of the c/e team for years – we jumped to the challenge!

It’s always easier when someone has a strong sense of what they want and we just need to help translate it into a final, finessed identity – we had a name, we had a style … and 22 Flowers was born!

 

 

NEW CLIENT: VRP Consulting

After a competitive tender we were really excited to be awarded the VRP Consulting account.

VRP Consulting are a global full-service Salesforce consulting, development and outsourcing partner delivering across the entire Salesforce platform. With over 500 people, across 12 offices in 8 countries, they think globally but deliver locally.

They are ready to take that next step with their brand and they’ve tasked chicken/egg with re-defining their brand proposition and translating this across to a new website design.

We’re already underway with a stakeholder brand exercise which, delivered via a two-part questionnaire, will help us to define the creative brief for the studio.  Plus our analysis will allow us to develop a strong set of guidelines including TOV and brand values.

With the key players spanning the globe it’s an international team effort!

Exciting times!