Is Your Brand More Tesla, Toyota, or BMW?
Whenever we engage with a client to create a new logo or refresh an old one, we ask the same question. “If you were a car brand, which one would you be?”
We’ve heard every answer possible…
“A Ford F150. Durable and reliable.”
“A Saab, with a little prestige but not too much show.”
“A Tesla… leading the way with innovation.”
“Volvo, for sure. Safe and trustworthy.”
“BMW. Fast and aggressive.”
“Mercedes Benz. Luxury meets performance.”
“Toyota. You can count on us.”
Perception is reality. Here are two insights from this exercise.
First, look at how easy it is for us to associate brands with the feeling they bring us. In each example above, the response was tied to how the brand shows up in the world and how it makes the person responding to the question feel. The curious thing is that it takes them little to no time to identify their car brand, even if it’s not the brand they drive.
Second, we need to remember that clients and customers are creating those same kind of connections to our brands. This goes way beyond the car industry. When someone thinks about your company, there is a feeling they get deep inside. Their experience and what they know about your brand is creating answers similar to the ones above.
This leads us to the next question we ask as we’re working through the logo design and identity-building process.
“Is that how you show up today… or how you want to show up in the future?”
That’s the key to this whole conversation. This isn’t about car brands or logo design. Ultimately, it’s about how you show up. Create the most beautiful logo in the world, but don’t back it up in how you show up, and it’s just pretty art. Show up well in the world and represent that with a beautiful logo, and it’s a different conversation.
Call-to-Action
Ask yourself these three questions:
- What car brand represents our brand best?
- Do you show up that way today, or is it something we’re working toward?
- What actions/activities do we need to be doing to back that up?
Ready for more?
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