What is a brand? Let me illustrate with a brand I'm partial to — New Balance. I used to think of New Balance as the maker of all-white, extra wide “dad” shoes. Now, as the proud owner of a dozen different pairs, I think of New Balance as a trendy, modern shoe that goes with my jeans and shorts. I can wear them out to dinner or to walk five miles. I can wear them anywhere!

New Balance fits my dad lifestyle. I feel that lifestyle when I check out their mobile app, open an email, see their sponsored posts on Instagram, or when I walk into the New Balance store and try on a new pair of shoes.

New Balance understands me well enough to offer suggestions for shoes I don’t even know I need – at a time when I’m not necessarily looking for new shoes – and I still want them!

The creative and marketing team at New Balance laced together an incredible string of technologies and workflows in order to create my omnichannel experience. They have shaped my impression of New Balance through a series of purposeful, memorable moments. Simply put, New Balance has mastered brand asset management.

A brand is more than a name on a label or a logo on a website; it’s an identity. It’s what companies use to distinguish themselves from every other business out there. Just as humans embrace a certain style, have a unique personality, and carry themselves in a particular way — everything a brand does, says, and conveys helps define who that company is and what they stand for. 

But brands are delicate. Consistency, quality, and the all-around experience a brand delivers impacts customer perceptions. One wrong step and a brand’s reputation is at risk. As a result, companies of all shapes, sizes, and caliber are adopting brand management practices to safeguard their identity and control their company’s narrative.

Brand storytelling is an increasingly popular approach to marketing that taps into the foundational human need to connect with others through story. It’s a method that centers your customer as the main character in the story, not your brand or your product. When you share relatable stories about life experiences that matter to your audience, you create strong emotional connections with your ideal customers.

Those connections build brand awareness, keep attention on your marketing channels, and establish trust. Not everyone agrees on the best way to do brand storytelling, but everyone knows it matters. To get us started, we’ll talk about why it’s so important, show you some examples of brand storytellers you can learn from, and provide ideas on how to start using the tactic yourself. But first, let’s outline and agree on a clear brand storytelling definition. 

One of the biggest psychological influences on customer behavior is brand association. This can be the silent difference between someone buying your product or a competitor’s. It’s a complex phenomenon that every brand wants to establish in the minds of their audience but few understand how to create.

What brand comes to mind when you think of Bill Gates? Jeff Bezos? Arianna Huffington? Microsoft. Amazon. Huffington Post. How does that work? 

Let’s start by establishing a solid definition of what brand association is. Then, we’ll go into the different kinds of brand associations, some specific examples, and direct you toward getting started on your own brand association strategy. 

We all know brand loyalty is important, but unfortunately, there’s no secret formula to building it. That’s what keeps marketers on their toes. It’s a cumulative result from consistent positive experiences across all your channels and every touchpoint in the customer journey. And, the scales could be tipped by something like your flexible return policy, membership program benefits, or quick customer support on Twitter. But before we dive into how to use these things to build it, let’s take a closer look at what brand loyalty is.

Brand positioning is so much more than how well your logo stands from other companies. It’s how your brand’s vision, product, and identity are strategically positioned in a market saturated with other companies. And, more importantly, it’s what you’re known for in your customer’s mind. Your audience ultimately decides where you sit compared to your competitors.

If you want your customers to think of you first when they’re ready to buy, you have to position your brand with a clear, strategic foundation. For example, many people automatically think of Warby Parker when looking to buy glasses online. We’ll take a closer look at what they did to create their unique brand position later in this article. But first, let’s get a little more specific about what brand positioning actually is, the advantages of doing it well, and outline a simple brand positioning framework to help you get started.

Whether your brand is traveling down the hall to a colleague's office or across the globe, you need to safeguard it for the journey ahead. With freelancers, marketing agencies, internal teams, and many others using your brand in communications and content, it's easy for inconsistencies and misuse to arise. 

A brand identity kit can help by providing disparate groups and individuals with the tools and information they need to uphold your brand consistently. In fact, a brand identity kit is an absolute must-have for all businesses!

Brand experience is the sum of all the sensations, thoughts, feelings, and reactions that individuals have in response to a brand. Brand experience is not specific to a channel or media type. Rather, it’s the result — or the lasting impression — that remains after someone encounters or engages with a brand in any environment.

Your brand is your company’s most important asset. It’s more than just words on a page or images on a screen ⏤ it’s how you communicate with and attract your audience. From your logo to every customer interaction, it’s the identity of your organization.  

To stand out in a competitive market, consumers need to easily understand who your company is and what you provide. Brand consistency helps consumers feel confident in their decision to become a customer because they know exactly what to expect from you with every interaction.

So, how do you ensure a consistent experience that builds brand loyalty? Develop strong brand guidelines.

Every brand evolves over time. One day, your brand will outgrow the look and feel you’ve used for years. The audience you speak to will change their behaviors. Your purpose will take on new meaning. And eventually, you’ll need to redesign the look and feel that worked so well, and relaunch your brand.

Just the idea of relaunching all your newly designed brand assets can feel overwhelming. How are you possibly going to coordinate all the changes and updates? Don’t worry, with the right tools and a strategic approach any brand can roll out new assets at a global scale.