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What Is Branding – Part 3

Tags: blog en branding

El logo no tiene por qué comunicar, pero sí identificar

In the previous article, we explored that the first step for a business to become a brand is differentiation. This is achieved by answering the questions “who are you,” “what do you do,” and “why does it matter.” It involves focusing and specializing your products and services, as well as building the concept of a tribe—a sense of belonging.

In this article, we’ll discuss the second discipline of branding: Collaboration.

Strength in numbers

Brands, like any natural or economic entity, depend on their environment to survive—they cannot evolve in isolation.

Branding requires continuous interaction among experts in design, communication, marketing, advertising, consulting, and more. These efforts must integrate with the work of a company’s staff, suppliers, distributors, and of course, customers.

Creating a brand takes the work of an entire community. It’s not about hiring the brightest minds in the country, but about ensuring all parties involved work in an organized and unified direction.

Collaborative work

Today, there are three common types of collaboration when it comes to brand creation: 1. Collaboration between a company and a single design agency, 2. Collaboration between a business and multiple specialized agencies, and 3. Internal collaboration within the company, supported by external agencies.

The first option, a collaboration between a business and a single agency, is often the starting point for small businesses or startups. While this model provides unified messaging across platforms, it often lacks the specialization needed for the best results in specific areas.

El logo no tiene por qué comunicar, pero sí identificar

With brand management through a group of agencies, where each specializes in a specific category, the issues of the previous collaborative model are resolved. However, this approach has two key disadvantages: it increases the likelihood of inconsistent messaging, and since all management is external to the company, the knowledge and message are not fully adopted by the internal team.

The third approach to brand management—where an internal marketing team collaborates with specialized external agencies—strikes the perfect balance between the first two models. This hybrid method combines the advantages of both approaches while minimizing their downsides: 1. Uniform messaging: An internal team ensures consistency across all communication channels, and 2. High-quality results: External agencies bring specialized expertise to each discipline, achieving optimal outcomes.

Hollywood is the hero of the story

The latest collaborative model owes much to the approach adopted by Hollywood many years ago. In its early days, film studios managed every stage of production internally. However, this approach came with high costs, as studios had to employ large teams for each project. If a film failed at the box office, the studio bore the full financial impact.

This scenario pushed studios to rely on external providers and specialists for each area and production process. This change not only reduced financial risks but also significantly improved performance and quality.

Box office risks were further minimized through the adoption of scripts. Scripts weren’t just a narrative roadmap—they outlined technical aspects and detailed the planning of the entire production process. Scripts were, and still are, only approved once all potential issues have been addressed, ensuring smoother production and reducing costly mistakes.

El logo no tiene por qué comunicar, pero sí identificar

For businesses, this should be a work model. The scripts of a business should be the prototypes for every new product or message it plans to launch. Testing whether an image is well-crafted and focused is fundamental. This approach helps avoid mistakes before the launch of any campaign. Prototypes are what elevate collaborative work to a new level, ensuring that every element is refined and ready before reaching the audience.

Now that you know the different collaboration models, we’ll dive into the third discipline of Branding in our fourth article. See you then!

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a branding strategy for your business, contact us—we specialize in branding and brand management.

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Autor:Author:

Miguel Espinosa

Fecha de publicación:Publication date:

24 de enero de 2022

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