How can you create a brand that is innovative and timeless?

Establishing your brands ‘distinctiveness’ is based on taking an integrated approach to your business and thinking beyond just looks. Yes, you will need an identity and supporting visual system to be memorable and unique but this is only surface level. People who interact with your brand need to know what’s in it for them and how it will help their lives. Defining your brands purpose or why is an essential step in supporting this, as it becomes the cornerstone for how you will communicate and present your brand to it’s audience.

A powerful brand is both distinctive and differentiated. Marketers often confuse the two but they are simple to define. Being distinctive means your brand is instantly recognised and remembered by your audience. This is achieved through your brand identity elements - tone of voice, brand personality, colour palette, logo, taglines, storytelling, imagery, etc. All the things that capture your audience's attention. Differentiation, on the other hand, means that what your business (through products or services) is offering to customers is meaningfully different to your competition, and is valued by your customers. A brand can be both distinctive and differentiated. The challenge for brand owners is making informed decisions on both.

An effective brand is both distinctive and relatable, balancing uniqueness with a connection to its audience. Brand territories, or key subjects that resonate with your target audience and align with your brand's identity, play a crucial role in achieving this balance. While your audience understands that you represent a brand, they still expect you to engage with topics that hold significance for them.

This gets added very easily when you know your brand's purpose as it positions you in a very unique manner allowing you to grow and scale while being different and distinctive for your audience and market through your journey.

Brands are like humans, they can be similar to each other but each of them has a unique set of characteristics. Your brand can have similar brand colours, typography, etc..etc.. but the who of the brand, how it talks and behaves in different situations, how it wears the colour and how it appears in the font, should be crafted differently. A brand is composed of elements but is always known for its quirks.

Knowing your purpose isn't enough it is also important to know your values and focusing on them from growing your business to building a team, knowing your values helps you create a brand that connects deeply when marketed through various forms of branding as it's authentic and something they can resonate with.

When considering the value your brand will deliver, go beyond what your direct services and products offer in value. Think of how the unique identity your brand carries can insert itself in your audiences daily life in an intentional way. The more people associate your brand with an action, emotion, or behavior, the stronger your brand will be.

Values should not be superficial. Your brand can have values on the website and all its collaterals, but how it practices or demonstrates the values is key.

Value is generated through human connections. How accessible is your brand to the people who work for you, buy from you and invest in you? How do we retain the humanity in our brands to lift them out of the cluttered transactional, price-driven market to something that's valued above all others by staff and customers?

Listen. Listen. Listen. It’s so important that your leaders actually get out and speak to customers. So many rely on others to do this and miss out on the emotion and drive of real customers. I always recommend businesses set up regular listening posts - ways for customers to come together in focus groups to discuss key issues - and leaders get involved. So that they truly understand the meaning customers are placing on their brand…

Stop being driven by assumptions, you have had enough toxic relationships around that. Don't do the same for your business. Build with your community of users and not just for them, and listen to their needs and challenges, this allows you to grow more clearly and build a strong relationship with your community.

Our world is more dynamic than ever before, if you don't grow with it, you settle in the dust of what remains. Don't be constrained but rather build a brand that can grow with times because the market and your users will and to build with them you need to be what they need.

The most important of all. You need to learn how to stay ahead of time to remain timeless. Brands don't have to die when certain products become irrelevant to the times. It's crucial to understand the power the brand holds and create products/services that are relevant to the times and the brand's image. Sometimes, the product may be of relevance but the brand narrative might have gotten too stale and would need a revamp. Hence, its important to listen to the customers carefully and continue crafting the narrative with time.

A timeless brand doesn't mean a static one. Understanding what you stand for and why you exist should centre the brand, but around this you should have the flexibility to interpret that position through the lens of innovation, technology and change. Timeless brands are timeless because they balance adaptation and their foundational strategy, not because they resist change.

Brands that are harnessing AI to augment their impact, resonance and uniqueness are going to dominate their industries. AI implemented intelligently, responsibly and creatively will enable personalisation of customer experience at scale.

WORKING WITH INSIGHTS In today's ever-evolving consumer ecosystem, it is essential to have one foot in the present and one in the future. Apart from the points mentioned above, it is crucial for brands to actively stay abreast of competition and audience behaviors, seeking insights that lead to opportunities. The world of branding has shifted towards building communities, not just loyalty. In this scenario, it is imperative to assess gaps actively, build valuable insights, and craft strategies to effectively moderate those gaps, creating a loyal base of engaged audiences.

Focus on authenticity and adaptability. Root your brand in a strong, genuine core idea that resonates universally. This authenticity fosters emotional connections, making the brand relevant across eras. Simultaneously, embrace adaptability—staying attuned to cultural shifts and technological advancements. This dual approach ensures your brand remains innovative, adapting to the present while preserving its timeless essence. It's about striking a balance: being true to your roots while evolving with the world.

I also think that as well as keeping an eye on trends and the future we do need to adopt the personalisation of the past and create an ideal amalgamation of the two. That warm welcome, the memory of a customer’s name, the gratitude towards the customer and the friendly face in digital form. As money becomes tighter customers are now choosing brands who appreciate them, who care, not just for their purchases but for the planet too

Creating a brand that is both innovative and timeless involves a strategic and thoughtful approach. Here are some key steps to achieve this: 1. Understand Your Purpose and Values: 2. Research Your Audience: 3. Craft a Compelling Brand Story: 4. Innovate with Flexibility in Mind: 5.Legal Protection:

Connect the brand something so meaningful, it cannot be erased over time. It’s the story element that endures, that we love, that we accept into our lives to become part of our identity and culture. Brands represent values, in their most basic form.