Understand Your Brand

All communications, internal and external, should rest on a clear and unified understanding of an organization’s brand. So what is a brand? Doug Frazier, former chief strategy officer of Columbus-based public relations agency FrazierHeiby, gave a definition of “brand” in a presentation to students that I liked and adopted. He said it was the emotional response customers have when they hear your name or see your logo.

Consider iconic and established brands like Coke and Apple. Emotions and images come to mind immediately at the mention of those brands. Smaller and younger organizations, like teenagers struggling to “find themselves,” must proactively explore who and what they want to be and make calculated decisions to help define their brands. A firm understanding of a brand translates into greater consistency with messaging, images and actions that build trust and understanding with consumers.