MDM530 Week 1
Graduate Research Writing
This week, we were asked to research three branding topics. Using multiple references from our research, we were asked to write in our own words and express our opinions on the three assigned topics.
Branding for Attention
Branding for attention captures and maintains consumer interest via memorable and persuasive visuals and overall brand messages. It stands out in an overcrowded marketplace and connects with its target audience by developing a distinctive brand identity. In Sean Adams' video, branding's evolution and its role in communicating a company's unique message and identity are explored, providing a thorough foundation for understanding how the process of branding strategies has developed to capture an audience's attention over time (Adams, 2015).
Kimberlee Jones' article focuses on a more contemporary application of branding for attention by emphasizing the importance of standing out in a crowded market and developing trust with the consumer (Jones, 2021). She stresses the long-term advantages of stable branding, such as customer loyalty and expanded business value, backed by real-world benchmarks and professional insights.
The advantages of branding for attention incorporate increased visibility, customer engagement, and competitive advantage. However, it also introduces challenges, such as preserving genuineness and avoiding market oversaturation. The fundamental dilemma lies in balancing the ability to stand out and remain faithful to the brand's core values and identity. Effective branding for attention demands a subtle and nuanced strategy that adapts to evolving market conditions while maintaining brand integrity.
Brand for Human Connection
A Brand for Human Connection involves systematically using branding to nurture emotional bonds and authentic exchanges between a brand and its audience.
In Debbie Millman's video, branding is portrayed as a profound manifestation of the human spirit, emphasizing the emotional and psychological impacts that brands can have on consumers (Millman, 2015). This outlook emphasizes how brands communicate beliefs and values, leaving lasting impressions that forge emotional bonds with consumers.
Conversely, Claudia Fisher and Christine Vallaster's "Connective Branding" book focuses on aligning internal values with external communications to build brand equity (Fisher & Vallaster, 2008). This practice stresses the significance of internal brand consistency and its impact on producing a cohesive brand experience that resonates internally and externally.
Branding for genuine human connection has significant benefits, including enhanced consumer loyalty and more profound emotional engagement. However, challenges involve maintaining genuineness and navigating the nuances of harmonizing internal and external brand messages. Impactful branding for a real human connection requires a mindful strategy that balances emotional involvement with brand integrity and consistency.
Projection of Brand
Personality
The projection of brand personality involves ascribing human-like traits to a brand to produce an emotional connection with the customer. This concept accentuates the significance of constant and genuine brand traits that resonate profoundly with consumers and develop a lasting connection.
In Adobe's article, brand personality is analyzed through a focal lens of visual cues and marketing communications, highlighting the importance of defining and refining brand traits like trustworthiness, fun-loving, and resourcefulness (Adobe, 2023). This technique emphasizes the role of brand personality in developing dynamic emotional connections with the target audience.
Similarly, Clare Forsey's blog post from HubSpot also scrutinizes brand personality, accentuating consistency across a myriad of platforms and the impact of authentic brand traits in building lasting customer relationships (Forsey, 2021). Both sources emphasize genuineness and emotional engagement, but Adobe focuses more on the initial meaning and improvement of brand personality, while HubSpot emphasizes the significance of retaining consistency across channels.
Projecting brand personality can improve customer loyalty and strengthen the audience's emotional bond. However, preserving authenticity and consistency across various platforms and preventing oversaturation are challenges. Effective brand personality projection mandates a cautious balance of authenticity, consistency, and emotional resonance to ensure continuing consumer engagement.
Citations:
Adams, S. (2015, March 27). Branding for Designers: Part 1: History. [Video]. LinkedIn Learning. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/branding-for-designers/
Adobe, E. (2023, October 24). Brand personality: traits, examples, and how to define it. [Article]. Adobe. https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/brand-personality
Fisher, C., & Vallaster, C. (2008, December 15). Connective Branding: Building Brand Equity in a Demanding World. [Book]. John Wiley & Sons. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/connective-branding-building/9780470512401/
Forsey, C. (2021, September 28). What is a Brand Personality, According to Marketers Who've Developed Them. [Blog]. HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-is-brand-personality
Jones, K. (2021, March 24). The Importance Of Branding In Business. [Article]. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2021/03/24/the-importance-of-branding-in-business/
Millman, D. (2015, June 22). Why We Brand. [Video]. Khosla Ventures. https://youtu.be/vQ0ht_9QxQs
1.6 Design Challenge:
Brand Vision Boards
Challenge Description
For this challenge, we were asked to construct (trace) a vision board using Adobe InDesign and the images provided in the assets folder for this assignment. In a previous course, some of the assignments we were asked to duplicate were not very precise, and there were lots of little mistakes or inaccuracies. With this assignment, it was more of the same. The difficult question is, do you trace it exactly like you were asked to do, or do you fix it? For this assignment, I stayed the course and traced it as closely as I could, mistakes and all.
We all have our trials
We were asked to use Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop. I have been using Adobe InDesign for about 20 years and Adobe Photoshop for close to 30 years. I am a very experienced user and I am extremely comfortable with both applications. With that in mind, you would think that I would crank out the Required Design Challenge and the Optional Design Challenge. Unfortunately, the writing and citing are quite difficult for me, and they consistently slow me down, leaving very little time for me to finish the Required Design Challenge and little or no time to even attempt the Optional Design Challenge. There are those students who have to do all of the software tutorials and work to get the challenges done, I say to them, don’t feel discouraged because we all have those types of trials, for you, it may be the creative applications, and you may do really well at the writing portion of the course work, and there is someone like me that is the opposite. I can crank out the art, but the writing takes me several times longer than the average student. I say to you, “In the end, it all comes out in the wash.”
