The Transformative Power of Brand Guidelines

Content for digital is normally easier and quicker. Very soon marketing departments are able to produce hundreds of social media posts, new blog pieces, mailings and several landing pages with a speed that is not even closed to the one you might had using only printed materials. This is why keeping graphics and images under control in the digital world, especially within an international environment is extremely difficult.

This is why developing a consistent and strong brand identity is crucial in the dynamic digital landscape. It all begins with a solid idea for your marketing or communication activities, whether it’s a visual, a slogan, or content for various digital channels. However, the excitement of creativity should be tempered with the need for a cohesive Corporate Identity (CI) from the outset.

We all know how it is in the Marketing departments. Im House we can not accomplish everything, or it is rarely that I have seen a marketing dep. being able to really manage all aspect of marketing and communication without any external support. Normally marketing rely highly on marketing agencies / freelance to help in the creation and production of content. This is why there are so many of them.

We know how it is, marketing agencies like to be creative. Actually the more they are creative, the more they can charge you. This is why, if you don’t provide a guideline, they will exploit their creativity and come up with the greatest most creative design for each artwork that you request, which will be probably every time very different, depending on the internationalization of the company also country-specific and most important highly expensive.

Every time agencies will charge you for what it’s called the “conceptual” work, which is basically to think about how to set-up the different design formats and what kind of graphic elements are best. And that is much longer and timely intenst than just work on a “finished format” where they should only include a new logo or text or do small adjustments to fit into the template. Agencies can literally thrive on creativity and without guidelines, they can get carried away, resulting in stunning yet costly creations.

This is why providing a clear format to agencies for content inclusion, instead of paying for conceptual work, proves not only to be cost-effective but also much more efficient.

Advantages of a Corporate Identity

The advantages of a well-defined CI are numerous and I summarize a couple here (you can find more more if you are interested, again I want to express only what it’s outcome from my own experience).

1. It streamlines communication and collaboration by providing a reference point for everyone involved, improving efficiency and reducing errors. Especially among large marketing team that works across countries or continent, dispersion is very easy. No one wants and can control what happen in the other part of the world meanwhile the company value proposition, through its main message and image, should be communicated and visually expressed consistently and harmoniously among all channels and platforms.
2. I mentioned how consistency across all digital touchpoints is fundamental, even for smaller companies, ensuring that customers can easily identify and trust your brand. Consistent branding not only builds trust but also fosters customer loyalty. The recognizable color, style, and overall image create a reassuring effect for customers. This trust translates into repeat business, which can be measured through customer satisfaction surveys and retention metrics. It makes the difference when you walk in a busy trade-show full of colors, logos, messages and all kinds of inputs to stand out and be recognized from your customers.
3. Ignoring the importance of brand guidelines increases the risk of diluting or misusing your brand. Properly implemented guidelines act as a shield, preventing unauthorized alterations and inconsistent representations. Monitoring brand mentions, sentiment analysis, and perception surveys help gauge the effectiveness of brand protection efforts. Especially in the digital endeavors it is so easy to missuses company logos and branding elements. The more the brand is strong and recognized, the more difficult it is to “steal” it for wrong use.