What is a Brand?

I was recently reflecting on some of the great brands we’ve worked with over the last 25 years. How we’ve helped maintain & protect them with consistent representation, out there in the rough & tumble of the real world.

How we’ve made sure they've always spoken authentically. Told their stories & become relevant. How we've helped them engage with local audiences. How we’ve made sure they stay unique, special, & true to themselves.

It’s not always an easy task either.

In the heat of the moment, in the rush for sales, with a lack of understanding it’s easy to lose sight of the preciousness of a real brand. The single vision truly successful brands have is what sets them apart.

Protecting, activating, & amplifying that is what we do.

We’ve been called the brand ‘police’ many times in the past, but I like to see us more as brand ‘guardians’.

But what exactly is it we are protecting? I asked ChatGPT:

"A brand is a product or a business that has a distinct identity in the perception of consumers. It is created through elements of design, packaging, & advertising that distinguish it from its competitors. A brand can evoke feelings, associations, & emotions in the minds of the customers, & influence their purchasing behaviour. A brand is more than just a name, logo, or slogan; it is the consistent & recognisable experience that a product or business delivers."

With that in mind, let’s start off looking at Citroën. The brand André Citroën founded 105 years ago...

Back in 2008 they felt they needed to remind people exactly what their brand stood for. Why it was unique & noteworthy. What gave it that "distinct identity".

To do that they turned of course to We Are Acuity. Excited by the opportunity, we wrote & designed this brand book. This is what we found. The absolute essence of the brand, that remains true today with products like the Citroën Ami & C5X…

"André Citroën thought in a different way from everybody else, it's as simple as that. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was maybe 100 years ahead of his time. He was responsible, almost single-mindedly, for putting ordinary people right across Europe into motor cars.

Where an industry didn't actually exist, he created it: car dealers, part exchange, car finance, marketing, & international sales operations. In his factory he built a crèche & hospital & had both a subsidised canteen & shops, typical of today's caring management, but unthinkable in 1919!

Citroën went on to innovate in so many ways that 21st century motoring is still based on one of its earliest successes; with its very many advantages, front wheel drive is now almost universal - Citroën conceived the first ever mass-produced car with this configuration with the launch of the Traction Avant in 1934."

Many brands claim to be ‘different’. This brand wasn't thinking differently for the sake of it, it was an inquisitive & analytical mind-set and the results were astounding. That's a true brand.

If you’d like to talk about your brand, your creative marketing or your local marketing why not schedule a FREE 30-minute assessment today here? It could be the best decision you ever make.

Or alternatively read more about Local Marketing on our blog page "Local Thinking': https://www.weareacuity.com/local-thinking-our-blog

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