| Corporate Identity: Many questions. And our answer. |
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| What’s the best way to establish a corporate identity? One that constantly represents the personality and character of a business? A comprehensive and distinctive corporate identity with long-lasting success? A corporate identity flexible enough to adapt to ongoing changes in the market as well as inside your company? A corporate identity that builds identification for both customers and employees, and beyond that, is practical? |
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| We call our method to achieve these requirements, “Core Design”. Why? Because, after all, in-depth analyzation is absolutely essential for successful CI development - to conceive the core of a business. |
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It’s important, for sure, to advertise project by project, but this has its limits. You continue to react to the market instead of regulating your own actions - let alone establish values. It is simply “scratching the surface.”
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| In the beginning there was “the brochure” – or why the tail often wags the dog. |
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| What’s a good way to advertise for your own company? Sure, it’s all about the production of brochures, isn’t it? One for products. And yes, one for image.
In this process, a consistent design is definitely important because we want to produce advertisements too - and we want to be recognized, right?
So we produce diligently, because we are in a hurry.
Pretty often we “roundup the usual suspects”, meaning that we are using the obligatory channels for advertising. Project by project, the CI of the company will “hopefully” grow with it. |
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| And this is when the tail wags the dog. |
| Replace a brochure with a fair booth; an advertisement with a sticker - the core of the message remains the same. A successful, consistent CI doesn’t start with the production of advertising media, but with the production of questions and answers. |
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| Who are we? Who do we want to be? What makes us distinctive? How do we want to represent ourselves inside and outside of our company? How about the competitive environment? Where are we? Where do we want to be in the short-term - and in the long term?
What distribution channels are available? What kind of media does it make sense to use? And more than anything, how can we fully employ our potential? This whole process is tedious, sometimes even tenacious, and the questions above are just the beginning ... |
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| In the end, though, there will be a concept that considers all business objectives and makes it possible to implement all advertising objectives. A marketing strategy that thinks ahead – and strikes the core. |
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| The First Core Question: Who Are You? |
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| Corporate identity – the appearance of your company |
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| Corporate identity is the appearance of your company. It designates the way you perceive it and how you want others to perceive it. CI is the basis – the core – of your advertising presence and communication strategy. Your CI defines who you are, what you represent, and how you present this image both inside and outside of your company. |
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| A Corporate identity consists of three important components: |
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| - Corporate Design |
| - Corporate Communication / Corporate Language |
| - Corporate Behaviour |
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| Corporate design is your visual appearance. Corporate language is language used to communicate inside and outside of your company. Corporate behavior defines the values of your company in business towards social issues, your own employees, and your customers. |
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| A complete image will be created through the interaction of these components – an image that comprehensively and distinctively represents your company and will be used for all advertising and communication matters. |
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| Unfortunately, the opportunities that result from this interaction often remain unused. The success of a CI is only indirectly measurable (eventually through sales figures). So here is the “core analogy” again: You can’t tell how good a core is by looking at it. But you can by looking at the results. |
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| With a good core and an elaborated CI, a company has the chance to sell more than its products: An image that consolidates the position of services and products as well as adapts to changing market requirements- thus creating a fixed status while maintaining a process of ongoing development. |
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| The Second Core Question: How to Define an Identity? And Why? |
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| Markets are narrow, and the range of products is wide. Alongside the quality of your products, other decision criteria add up for your customers: |
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| - Functionality |
| - Aesthetics |
| - Ideology |
| - Sympathy |
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| It is becoming more and more important to think beyond your product and to incorporate your whole company into the process. Customers not only consider products in their purchase decisions, but also the company and value behind the product. |
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| Therefore, the main task is to communicate these values, internally and externally. |
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| The most important benefits of a CI: |
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| - Acquiring trust |
| The more distinctive the positioning of a company, the more trust it gains from customers. |
| (recognition of values makes a company “more real” for customers). |
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| - Simplification of processes |
| The “wheel needn’t be re-invented” every day. |
| Clear guidelines simplify work from the core for employees and partners. |
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| - Economical benefits |
| A CI saves money. Reoccurring expenditure of time and human resources can be avoided, which lowers costs. |
| 10 employees have to spend an average of 2 hours of formal work per company presentation. |
| With an estimated hourly wage rate of 50 dollars, this adds up to 1,000 dollars per presentation. |
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| - Employee identification with the company |
| A consistent CI sustains the feeling of corporate team-spirit and appears highly professional inside and outside |
| of the company. |
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| - Distinctive company profile in the market |
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| The Core Decision: |
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| If you want to know how "Core Design" works especially for your company, just get in touch with us. |
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