What Makes a Brand Timeless?

Author: Rachel Durkan Category: Branding, B2B, B2C, E-commerce & Retail, Marketing, Nonprofit Date: August 11, 2017

So you’ve decided to create a new company. Congratulations! I’m sure you’ve spent many years thinking about your company and when you’re going to launch…and how you’re going to launch! Have you thought about your brand? I’m sure you have! But…what is a brand? Sure, it is a name or a Trademark; but, it is also so much more.

David Ogilvy described as “the intangible sum of a product’s attributes.”

In simple terms, your “brand” is what your customers and target market think of when they hear your company name.

It may exist on paper, but in reality, it only exists in one’s mind.

Think about it. What are some attributes that come to mind when you think of Coca-Cola? And M&M’s? Target? Kirkland? I’m sure you’re able to string a few thoughts together for each of those. And, what makes it so easy for you to come up with those attributes? What makes these brands so popular…and what makes a brand, such as Sears or Coca-Cola, so timeless?

1.Don’t Be Trendy

Trendy is exactly the opposite of timeless. It means being popular today. It doesn’t make being popular tomorrow. If you want your brand to withstand time, don’t look at today’s trends. Look at what has worked over the course of 100+ years. Or, look at the future and create your vision for what will stick around for decades or centuries. The more honest and creative you are when crafting your brand identity, the more likely it is that you’ll create something timeless.

2. Connect With Your Audience

Your brand is in people’s minds, right? So, you must connect with your target audience and share their passions in order to conjure up the brand that you both mutually envision.

3. Stay Broad

When you launch your brand, if your goal is to be a timeless brand, then you shouldn’t define your brand with anything too specific. Don’t be very descriptive in your logo or your tagline. You want to have flexibility and autonomy to rebrand if necessary. Coca-Cola has updated their logo numerous times, but it’s still the same identifiable logo.

Your brand is not a tangible asset that you launch with a logo. A brand is so much more. It is a series of descriptive attributes about your company and you. Patagonia is not just Patagonia. It’s defined by their love and passion for nature and the outdoors. And their shared passion with their customers for caring for the environment. This will never go away. Their audience does not care what Patagonia’s logo is…they don’t even have an icon for their logo. Their brand is what they stand for. And, when they are developing their marketing strategy, they are constantly pulled back to their brand and what they stand for. After all, this is exactly what their customers expect and exactly why their customers keep coming back.

Are you struggling with your brand? Can your customers define attributes in line with what you hope your brand exudes? Contact Paradigm Marketing and Design to find out how you can ensure your brand is timeless.