There’s a prevalent myth out there in the marketing world that branding is the creation of some combination of a logo, slogan and colours. While certainly each is an expression of a brand, branding is so much more. Branding is an ongoing activity with three key stages.

Stage 1 – Create

An organization that can clearly articulate its brand brings clarity and focus to its activities. A sustainable business requires a “decision filter” through which to make strategic choices at every level. The brand promise — the fundamental promise of value you make to your audience — is that filter. Organizations that create a believable brand promise are those that can articulate the enduring value they provide their audience.

Stage 2 - Share

A brand promise is only meaningful when you share it — amplify it through communication — so the intended audience can connect with the authentic value differentiation it offers. But the promise doesn’t end once it’s shared. Quite the opposite.

Stage 3 - Keep

Keeping the promise means aligning your brand’s people, place, promotions, product and processes with the promise on a daily basis. The work of keeping a brand’s promise is never done, but it gets easier with sustained practice, and returns value out of all proportion to the effort that went into creating it.

Create your business’ promise of value. Make it to the world. Keep it inside and outside your corporate walls — that’s the recipe for branding success.

-Steve