Your logo is almost irrelevant to your brand position. Sure, it would be great if your logo reflected your desired position in the marketplace, but it’s hardly crucial to the process. You can execute a new branding campaign and never even think about your logo. If you are trying to establish a new brand position, a new mark does give indication to the market that something is changing. But, your logo isn’t going to make or break your brand.

My what? Exactly…

Your desired brand position is partially determined by what the consumer desires from a company in your category. If they don’t see you any differently than your competition, then how can you uniquely satisfy their needs. No two companies can occupy the same space in the consumer’s mind, so if they don’t differentiate you, they don't need you.

Your employees are a major touch point for your brand. Therefore, every employee should fully understand what the brand stands for, what the focus of your organization is, and how they should interact with your customers. Every single person at every level there should reflect the brand attributes. Don’t have brand attributes? Then you have a weak brand.

You’re not alone, but that’s no consolation. A marketing campaign can certainly be a great tool in a branding effort. But, branding and ad campaigns are not the same thing. Branding is all about your promise to the marketplace and reflects what is inherent in your organization — your culture, your values, your priorities, and your deliverables. You should have a strategy to reinforce your brand among your key audiences. That strategy may include advertising tactics which support your brand. But your ad campaign is not your brand.

Takeaway: Consumers purchase brands that they trust. Developing a strong brand in the mind of your most desired prospects makes the rest of your marketing so much easier. A weak brand means you’re competing on price. And who wants customers that want the cheapest price?