The brand identity is the audio-visual trade dress of the brand that expresses, and brings to artistic life, the brand definition, especially the:
1. Central organizing thought of the brand- what the brand is all about from an insider’s perspective, expressed in one short sentence.
2. Slogan- the publicly expressed statement of the brand that translates the central organizing thought for the benefit of its target customers.
3. Personality of the brand- the human character of the brand, maybe supported by a celebrity character within the company – Richard Branson of Virgin, M. Maurice of Roquefort cheese.
4. Values of the brand- what the brand stands for and believes in .
5. Tastes/appearance of the brand- what it likes, what it wears, how it speaks.
6. Brand heritage- the stories told about the brand – the insider’s view .
7. Emotional benefits of the brand- what the brand delivers emotionally – avoidance of pain, reduction in pain, promotion of pleasure .
8. Hard benefits of the brand- what the brand delivers rationally- Utility Values.
The brand identity, used in all aspects of communication (including literature, brochures, packaging, the product itself, the Internet, stationery, and so on), must reflect all these things in its:
• Graphical design (the Nike ® “swoosh”, the Coca-Cola ® bottle design) .
• Type face.
• Use of color (the Post-it ® Note yellow) .
• Sounds (the Microsoft ® or Intel ® tune).
The more differentiated the identity, the easier it is to protect from infringement. Competitors will often pick up on elements of the trade dress of the brand leader.
They must be confronted, otherwise the trademark is lost as a valuable piece of intellectual property and, more importantly, the clarity of the company’s identity (a key piece of communication between the brand and its customers) becomes drowned in confounding “noise” from other brands.