Putting your best foot forward, an oft-repeated maxim of business, is one of those catchphrases with legs.
As evidenced by Dayton Business Journal'srecent Brand Madness competition, which pitted local companies against one another to see which has the region's favorite brand, having a strong brand can cultivate customer loyalty and support. The bracket-style competition drew in more than 75,000 votes during its month-long span.
Yet, while the importance of having a strong brand is unquestioned, actually growing a brand can be more tricky.
"People think of a brand as just a logo, but it's really so much more than that. It's every opportunity you get to touch a customer," said Chris Wire, president and creative director of Real Art Design Group , a nationally recognized print and interactive design firm with offices in Dayton and Chicago.
Wire said it's important for a company to send the same message across all platforms. And, while certain mediums lend themselves better to different types of branding, creating a cohesive message across all of those mediums is key.
"They all have to fall in lock step together and be creating the same brand, but we can utilize them differently to tell different parts of the story," Wire said.
Billboards often work well for high-level marketing, whereas new technologies such as social media can convey a company's voice and serve as a platform from which they can give customers special offers.
However, while it's important for a company to actively build its brand, each company doesn't need to use every means available.
"You have to be true to yourself rather than just blindly following trends," Wire said.
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