The Problem with Generic Names

Continuing from Tuesday's post on simplicity in names, today I want to talk to you a bit more about generic names.

To put it simply, generic names suck. Think about it, are you loyal to a brand with a generic name? We buy books from Amazon, well designed gadgets from Apple, furniture from IKEA and search the web on Google. When you come to think of it, most popular brands don't have a generic name. There are still some old brands with very generic names, but now they present a shortened or abbreviated version of it. Take General Electric for example, their brand name is now GE and you will rarely find a reference to the original name.

Last Tuesday I was at an event on Social Innovation, I was really surprised with the lack of creativity and uniqueness of brand names from the companies that were attending. A lot of the names were very descriptive, difficult to remember and very generic. Imagine me coming up to you at a crowded event and saying that my company name is "The Brand Consultancy That Focuses on Simplicity", would you remember it? But people still fall for this trap, as I witnessed first-hand on Tuesday.

The solution is simple, whenever a generic name comes up during your naming sessions either park it or shut it down. The best you can do if someone insists on it, is morph it to a unique name. Abbreviate it, shorten it, keep the parts that you like and morph it into a single word. Better yet, come up with something unique and follow the advice on Tuesday's post. You won't regret it.

Brand Protection Redux

Image by Scanpix Norway/Reuters via theguardian

Two weeks ago I wrote about how far Abercrombie and Fitch went to protect their brand.

A few days ago Lacoste did something similar but for a much more substantial reason. They asked the Norwegian police to stop Anders Breivik from wearing their brand in court.

Anders Breivik is responsible for the attacks in Oslo in July, that resulted in the death of 77 people. The association of the far-right extremist with the Lacoste brand could be very damaging. Lacoste's value has always been "relaxed elegance" something that is not reflected by a far-right extremist.

We know that clothes are a way of expressing our values and the wrong association can be very damaging to a brand. To our view Lacoste has taken the right decision, making their audience aware of their beliefs. What do you think?

What First Direct Does Right and You Should Too

About a month ago I decided that it was time to move banks. There was nothing really wrong about my previous bank but I felt that I was not really being taken care of. The account I was on was no longer providing me any benefits and the bank didn't care to do something about it.

I was tired of dealing with adequate customer service and not being able to get the information I needed quickly, so I looked at the market to see what else is there. Most banks in the UK have a reputation for poor customer service and complicated products. There was one that everyone was talking about, First Direct.

I always liked their communication and the black and white theme, so after careful thought I decided to try them out. They were so confident about offering the best service that they offer a new account bonus, and a "dissatisfaction bonus" if you leave in the first year.

The Communication

As soon as I signed up with them, a great trip started. Have a look through the gallery above and you will see that their communication is always helpful, well designed and clear. For the most part jargon has been removed and replaced with helpful guides, summaries and lists. They take great care in every document that they send out and everything is designed to fit their brand.

Every document, email and text message feels like it's personal and addresses your needs. On top of that, they don't do a lot of hard selling of a dozen other products or accounts.

The Experience

From day one, all they care about is the experience of the customer and satisfaction. Instead of cutting corners to decrease costs, it's obvious that they are focusing on keeping the customer happy. Whenever I called the call centre the phone was answered immediately by a real person (wow this is different for a UK bank). The product offering is created around the thinking that I should be able to do everything with ease, that's why they have an easy to use phone, internet, mobile, text and iPhone service.

Whenever I have interacted with them, I feel like I'm their top priority and that feels good. In a market that is known for overselling and not providing good customer service, First Direct is doing things differently. They care about their customers and provide a quality product. In comparison to other banks their account doesn't offer too much bonuses which are usually used to disguise poor quality.

What You Should Do

There are two things to take away from what First Direct does. First, they are not just a bank, they are a brand. Every communication, every interaction, every experience is designed around the brand values of clarity and customer satisfaction. They have not focused on adding travel insurance or breakdown cover in order to get you to buy, they have focused on what people care most about, being heard and having their problems solved. They have created a good quality product that addresses the customer needs.

Second, they are doing it for their customers. It's obvious from the level of service that what they care about is the customer. Yes they are also doing it for the money, but their focus is on customer service and satisfaction.

Have a look at what you do, are you doing it for your customers? At the end of the day, you should only care about your customers and making them happy. They are the ones that will buy from you, will support you and will make you popular. Decide on what your brand values are, communicate them consistently and clearly, and make your customers happy.

You Can't Please Everyone

Here's a dillema that every start-up faces "Should I offer a product/service that pleases as many people as possible, or should I offer it to a few people that get what I'm trying to do?". We've all been there, and if you are currently in this situation you have a big decision to make.

The fact is that no matter how much you try, you cannot please everybody. If you want to introduce something that is game-changing and challenging the norm, then people will protest. If you are solving a problem that people don't know they have, they will tell you to go away. This doesn't mean that you should change your product or service so more people like it. This means that you need to focus and serve the market niche that understands what you are trying to do and believes that you can do it. As your company grows, so will your market and slowly more people will get what you are trying to do and join your fan base.

What you need to look out for is trying to please everyone and in the end not doing something differently. If you become just another software company, or just another coffee shop then people will buy and judge you based on price and as we all know, this is not a nice place to be.

One last thing I want to add to the above, is that although the input from outside is important, it should not define what you do. Let's take branding for example, if while developing your brand you ask for feedback from your users and everyone that you know, then everyone will say a different thing. That's the nature of the beast, everyone has an opinion and if you try to incorporate everything and please everyone then you will end up with a Franken-brand. What you need to do is listen carefully to what people say and want from you and understand how you will communicate to them what you are trying to do in a way they can relate to.

Don't try to please everyone, be unique and stand out from the crowd. You will have a smaller market but they will be your fans and it will be worth it.

What are Your Team's Colours?

Whatever sports event you attend, it's easy to tell who the members of each team are. Different colours, different mascots and different "logos".

Are you doing enough to stand out from your competition? Is your team and brand consistent and distinctively different from others?

You need to always be consistent and reinforce your brand's image at all level's of interaction with your customer. I'm not suggesting that you should go out and buy uniforms for your team, but having a similar "look" can reinforce you image. You can also try to use the colours and shapes of your brand, in your teams "look" to provide more consistency. Just a few subtle hints of these are enough to add to the whole image.

Don't be afraid to be different and stand out, that's what makes you unique.

 

Rebranding Case Study - Hopscotch Children's Therapy Centre #BrandingThursdays

Last month we wrote about when it is time to rebrand and for this week I have written a short case study on one of the projects we have worked on.

Hopscotch Children's Therapy Centre is the leading paediatric occupational therapy clinic in the famous Harley Street, London. When we started working with them, they knew what their message was and what values they wanted to communicate, but their image and communication didn't reflect it.

During the project we worked together to change the image of the centre and create an experience that is memorable, timeless and engages the parents and their children.

In order to achieve that, we looked at the different parts of their brand and made the necessary changes to achieve the desired result. The changes ranged from their logo to the interior of the clinic. Following is what we changed and what we achieved.

Logo

Hopscotch wanted to communicate a message of vibrancy and doing things differently while providing the best available treatments. Their logo previously was outdated, didn't catch the eye and didn't convey the elegance of their practice. To change that we created a logo that is vibrant, fun, cheerful and attracts both parents and their children.

Brand Identity

The brand identity at the practice was none existent. As a result it was difficult to remember their contacts and have a card handy to book appointments. To solve this problem we created a consistent image that gives all the essential information to parents and communicates the practice's message.

Promotional Materials

In order to communicate the message, values and qualities of Hopscotch we launched a series of informational leaflets that educate parents.

Website

Although the website that Hopscotch used to have covered all the information, the design was out of date and it needed a revamp. The new website was received very well by their potential clients. Monthly visits increased, bounce rates dropped, they achieved a better spot on search results and increased conversion.

Interior

After completing the brand identity, we knew that something was missing. During one of our visits we watched as the therapists were working with children. What we noticed was that the children were a bit uncomfortable at the beginning, but when the equipment (swings, balls etc.) came out they were excited and happy. We then looked around and realised that at the beginning the space looked a lot like a doctor's office and didn't engage the children.

Working with the owner of Hopscotch we transformed the space to a place that is fun and exciting for children. The dull walls were painted with bright colours, stickers and interesting equipment were put on the Walls to catch kids' imagination. The response was incredible, from the first day that the changes were introduced the children loved it. As soon as they walked in the door they started interacting with the space and enjoying their visit. As a result, parents were more satisfied, better results was achieved and higher client satisfaction.

The results of the entire rebrand was better engagement and a memorable experience. Something that led to more referrals and customers satisfaction.

 

Simplicity in Branding: Your Identity #SimplicityTuesdays

In addition to your logo, your entire brand identity needs to be clear, memorable and timeless. Information needs to be always available and well presented, so people can start building trust with you.

Your brand's identity includes your logo, business cards, letterhead, invoice, leaflets, brochures (to name a few part) and now also your website. As a lot of these parts are your first interaction with your audience, you need to make a good first impression. Following are some guidelines on what to try and do for each item:

• Business Cards Your information needs to be clearly presented. Avoid using more than two fonts and more than two colours. Always look at the card from the clients view, is it easy to quickly get the needed information?
• Letterhead & Invoice You must include all the necessary business information (this depends on the country you operate in). Your logo needs to stand out and contact information needs to be clearly stated.
• Brochures, Leaflets & Posters Avoid clutter and hiding crucial information. Think of what information your audience is interested in and present it in a clear way.
• Website We will look at how to apply simplicity on a website in a different post as it will need more clarification

You also need to build your brand's guidelines, so that everyone that works on your brand can produce work that fits within your brand's image and doesn't confuse the audience. Review your entire brand's identity from a client's point of view and make sure that your message is communicated clearly.

Remember to be always consistent and simplify the image. This will help you create a memorable identity that your audience will trust.