McCombsKTG Webinar

Thursday, June 18

Brand Guidelines

Presented by

Renae DonusSpur Consulting LLC

About Me McCombs 2000 alumna Consulting & Marketing background

Accenture Senior Consultant Kraft Foods Brand Management

Started Spur Consulting in 2012 Marketing consulting firm specializing in Customer

Definition, Marketing Strategy, Branding, Marketing Collateral & Communication

Focused on helping start-ups and small companies

McCombs MBA+ Coach

What are Brand Guidelines?

Brand Guidelines are the written and visual declaration of how you want your company and brand to be presented to the world.

They should include more than logos, colors, and font.

Think of them as a bio for your brand. What do you want people to really know or think about your company and your brand?

Why Brand Guidelines?

Consistency Establish rules for everything (logo, visuals, copy) in an

effort to create a unified look and feel for everything you produce and share.

Remember, you’re building a brand – think long-term.

Inspiration Inspire any partner to embrace the brand and what it

stands for.

Who uses them? Employees (training / on-boarding)

Creates a culture of consistency and opportunity Develops brand advocates internally Communicates the vision / mission of the company

verbally and visually External partners and vendors (RFP, training)

Fosters accountability and consistency Inspires creativity and personal investment Influences word of mouth

BOD / Investors Effectively communicates the marketing strategy Achieves buy-in, WOM

Brand Guideline Components Company Background

Product & Positioning

Customer

Brand Principles

Visuals

Voice

Rules

Silvercar Example

Company Background Your Story

How the magic happened… Your Vision

Bigger idea for what could be Optimal goal + reason for existence “Making cancer history”

Your Mission Day-to-day who you are, what you stand for

Tagline

Silvercar

Silvercar Vision

The Product Overview / Key Features

Value Propositions

Positioning v. Competition / Perceptual Map

Silvercar

Silvercar

The Customer Demographics

Age, gender, HH income, etc. Psychographics

Values, opinions, and attitudes Qualitative research is key

Lifestyle / Behaviors Hobbies, interests, purchase behaviors Highlights possible partnership opportunities,

meaningful ways to engage

Silvercar

Silvercar

Brand Principles Defines your brand’s unique personality Determine 3-5 key brand attributes

Consider short-term and long-term Consider customer needs/wants first Brainstorm a long list, then prioritize

Principles need to be differentiated Explanation needs to be clear and meaningful Employees and agencies need to internalize Should be culture-defining

Silvercar

Visuals Visual Brand Identity

Photography or illustration (or both)? Define 3-5 visual attributes / style guidelines Use examples to demonstrate If subtleties need to be emphasized, consider

“Why this / Not that” comparisons Keep in mind that this is the most critical

component of your brand. Your website, app, digital ads, collateral, print, signage should all embrace this section of the guidelines

Details matter!

Silvercar

Silvercar

Brand Voice Copy and Tone

Define 3-5 mandatory copy attributes Create and include examples from:

Email marketing Print / OOH / Other advertising Social media / blogs

Consider including “off-limits” words/phrases Note any nuances Again, details matter!

The Rules What most Brand Guides are based around Logo / Usage / Spacing Colors

RGB / HEX / PMS Typography

Headings / Sub-text Brand Assets

Any objects / items which can be associated and used with your logo

Spotify

Plan of Action Collect data!

Conduct customer research Know your competitors Define customer demographics Engage leadership team and employees Collect examples of good/bad visual imagery Collect examples of good/bad copy

Refine company priorities (mission/vision) Brainstorm brand attributes Hire a graphic designer to make it a reality

Summary Defining your brand on paper matters! Brand Guidelines are a working document

Revisit 1-2x per year Tackling Brand Guidelines sheds light on other

elements of your company Use Brand Guidelines for training/marketing:

Employees Partners / Vendors Investors

Keep customer research as a priority to extend the life of your brand

Thank You! Questions / Comments?

Email me at renae@spur-consulting.com Call me at (512) 850-8021

The recording of today’s presentation, along with the PowerPoint slides, will be available on our Career Resources web page by early next week:

location: https://meeting.austin.utexas.edu/ktgwebinar/