On Great Branding Ideas...

Taking the discussion on corporate brands and their communication solution further I want to talk about the notion of the Branding Idea. Stephen King mentioned it first but I haven't seen much understanding of this concept beyond that. When the brand is the corporation, it needs more than advertising, a visual metaphor that can not only go across a host of media vehicles but also captures the identity of the organization in a well understood metaphor. Probably the ML Bull and the Singapore girl are the best recognized examples of such an approach, not to forget our very own Maharaja. They all capture the personality of a service brand and serve as a guideline for all frontline staff.

However a lesser known concept of a branding idea is one where the proposition or the promise of the brand is captured in a metaphor. I have been fortunate to work on two such exercises for not-for-profits and although i cannot share the specifics of strategy, the Janaagraha idea captures the idea of participatory democracy while the VoteIndia idea is about political reforms. I see the LeadIndia logo drawing heavily from this idea that was developed by my creative colleagues about 3 years ago.

And to round it off here is another highly successful example of a branding idea that focuses more on the promise than the personality of the brand i.e. BPCL's Pure for Sure. It is an area of personal passion for me so you will see much more on the subject of branding ideas. Treat this one as a bit of a primer.