BRANDING.
     A TOUCHING EXPERIENCE.

While typical advertising is all about reach, branding is all about touch. Branding is identifying key touch points along the journey of your company, its products and services - then making each touch point count.

In order to identify key touch points, you have to start by looking at the journey and your company's desired final destination. The first step is to identify "what you want to be when you grow up." At FORTHGEAR, we identify key individuals in the company that really affect its direction and get them to articulate that vision for the next 5 years.

Once the end goal is identified, we start looking at the journey. The journey starts right at home within the organization itself. How well is the vision of the future understood by management and employees? Do they have the same vision? Have they been given the opportunity to share their ideas?

One of the biggest problems we notice in corporations today is that they have evolved so quickly that they have done a poor job of getting the entire company to understand what the company has become. Assess the understanding of the company's goals within your organization. This will identify key areas that need improvement.

Whether your company provides a product or a service, the next step is to identify and list the areas your organization touches your clients and prospects. These touch points would include your phone system, website, salespeople, packaging, invoices, customer service, etc. - all are points of contact. Once these key areas have been identified executives must ask, "Is this touch point consistent with the vision of this company?"

The next step is to identify the processes in place for doing and completing work. These processes are full of opportunities to inject your brand personality. Create touch points that will leave a lasting impression with your client.

Once the journey has been mapped out, it's important to look at the areas where touch points are obvious and where they are lacking. Typically, there are numerous touch points during client acquisition but very few in keeping them.

So what do these touch points have to do with branding? Branding is the tool that bridges the gap between where a company is and where it wants to be. Design is the visual manifestation of that strategy.

Consistency was once considered the way to build brand recognition. Although consistency is still important, brands must actually stand for something. It is only when the vision of the stakeholders is shared by the employees and then understood by the client that a great brand is developed. The more in harmony these three are, the greater the rewards.

We're not just talking about the money or repeat business. We are talking about the satisfaction each group gains from the synergy created. Owners see their vision coming true and continue to dream. Employees reflect the vision through commitment and communicate the brand message gladly as they work. Clients appreciate the experience that has been created for them. When this system is working, clients will forgive easier, the employees understand the challenges better and owners are more willing to make changes that will keep the harmony stable.

As brand consultants, we are often retained to repair fractured visions of companies that move so quickly the brand protocol is neglected. Touch points are the critical areas that must be addressed along the journey. The greatest successes occur when we identify the journey and destination while integrating brand design elements with the corporation's touch points.

The core brand itself embodies all of the attributes the corporation needs in order to reach its goals. The core brand is supported by internal and external campaigns that are focused on the corporation's key touch points. Consistency in the brand identity experience, over time, can make a lasting impression on those who come in contact with your company.

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