A brand portfolio is more then just a name or logo it is everything together. Check out how to create the perfect brand portfolio for your new venture!
Brand Portfolio | Building the Dream Brands
When I say Brand Portfolio what do I really mean? Well, what is McDonald’s without the arches — the yellow and red buildings or even Ronald McDonald himself? A brand is not simply the domain name, logo design, trade dress or shape of the product. A brand portfolio is the amalgamation of these things (it’s not the pieces but the sum of the parts!).
When you look to create a brand you have to look at the whole picture. McDonald’s wanted the entire family to come to the restaurant together. They made it fun for kids and added a clown. They also wanted their store and ads to be very visible so they covered both in yellow and red, the colors our eyes are most drawn to (think fire engines and ambulances).
Think about the whole picture, there are lots of different pieces in the portfolio of each brand. Thank goodness companies like Brandings exist (sorry shameless plug but we really are good)!
So what’s in your brand portfolio?
The Brand Dream Team of a Valuable Trademark Portfolio
By Cheryl L. Hodgson, J.D.
Jim Cramer, a founder of thestreet.com, and well known Wall Street sage, is host of CNBC’s wildly successful MAD MONEY. In 2007, when things were still “flying high” Jim dubbed the four seemingly unstoppable tech stocks including RIMM and APPLE, the “four horsemen.” The four horsemen had momentum, but also had underlying intrinsic value. They were the trend that couldn’t be bucked, and symbolized what was right in the tech sector.
The four horsemen for developing a strong legally protectable brand for your business have these same qualities. They are capable of leading your marketing to higher and greater places, increasing the value of your company, and adding financial value to the brand you seek to build.
The Dream Team you select to represent your product or service in the market includes:
– A word or words– NIKE® is a great example.
– A design or symbol (logo) — The NIKE “swoosh” is a great example.
– A “composite” of the word and design– NIKE and the “Swoosh”
– A great slogan–JUST DO IT® is a great slogan.
NIKE the brand can remove its name from advertising, yet we the consumer still recognize the source when we see only the logo, i.e., the swoosh. The same is true of its now famous slogan. However, this brand value did not develop without reflection during selection, and a plan for protection. It required vision and forethought, together with excellent execution, namely delivery to the public of the promises their dream team symbolizes.
Building a great brand with strong trademarks starts with selection. When engaged in the process of selection, don’t limit thinking to words alone. Consider creating a dream team of four horsemen that can lead your business into a great future. Look to successful brands like NIKE for inspiration. Choose the word or words, and then create a symbol capable of achieving recognition. Visualize each being used alone, as well as together, with the consumers developing recognition of all three. Add in a great slogan, and your company will be on the SURE path to building a great brand, with four horsemen leading the way.
- Cheryl L. Hodgson JD – http://brandaideblog.com – Where Brand Selection Meets Protection
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheryl_L._Hodgson,_J.D.
Let Brandings help with the Four Horsemen of your brand; we’re here to help.
Update – We love the idea of the four horsemen of a brand and we truly believe that a great logo and great company name should go together. They should work together, play off each other and support each other and that’s why if you were to go with any of our pre-developed names we will gladly redesign the logo to better fit your brand strategy.
Like the article states a brand package or brand portfolio is more then just a name or just a logo it is everything together, supporting each other; the portfolio together is bigger then it’s separate parts.
I was just reading about Trade Dress and I guess that MacDonald’s arches would be part of that. What’s the difference between Trade Dress and and the branding portfolio?
Yes, McDonalds arches are part of the Trade Dress as is Best Buy’s blue up wall. The difference between the Trade Dress and the Brandings portfolio, as what I think you’re asking, is that a Trade Dress is something physical. It’s the arches over the building an not the ones on paper, it’s part of the architecture. Trade Dress is a physical and tangible part of a building, cup, hat, shape of a bottle (Heinz Ketchup, Mrs. Butterworth) or even chair.
The Brandings inventory is not a physical attribute. That doesn’t mean that anyone could use one of our names nor could anyone us one of the names if you were to purchase one.