Brand worlds. What The Fascination?
At Purple, we’ve been creating fascinating brand worlds since 1993. But WTF’s a brand world? And why should they be fascinating?
What is a brand world?
There’s always been healthy debate over the difference between a brand and a brand world – so here’s our take. A brand is how a product, company or service is defined, recognised and remembered – it’s made up of a host of functional and foundational elements like values, name, logo and distinctive brand assets.
But for us, a brand world unleashes these incredible building blocks across every diverse touchpoint, creating a living, breathing, ever-evolving expression of your brand. It’s immersive. It’s connected. And it shapes how people discover, engage and respond to you – it’s the emotional glue between those DBAs. Which is where real fascination happens.
Why do brand worlds matter?
In business terms your brand world is effectively your key operating model, so it should sit at the heart of everything. It brings life and light to your brand. Everywhere. That’s why a brand world must be thoughtfully created, consistently maintained and be adaptive when needed. Because every interaction matters.
If any part of that world fragments, looks tired or lacks relevance then you’ve lost the chance to make an important impact with your consumer. And before you ask, we don’t mean your brand now has to be formulaic or cookie-cutter. Far from it. The power of a fascinating brand world is it stays consistent but is always compelling whatever the channel, concept or strategy through flexible design brilliance.
What are the advantages of a brand world?
The advantages of a strong and fascinating brand world are transformational. There are loads of commercial and competitive advantages but one of the most persuasive is that it will make your brand more distinctive, powerful and memorable. It’s undeniable. People will be seeing your foundational elements meaningfully executed at every touchpoint. This will act as a brand multiplier or accelerator, helping to drive engagement, relevance, resonance and maximise returns everywhere it’s seen.
Why should a brand world be fascinating?
Being ‘fascinating’ is important. Literal definition: capable of arousing and holding the attention; capturing interest as if by a spell. In marketing terms, it means the constant allure or hook that makes your brand interesting, memorable and engaging to your target audience everywhere they see or interact with it. No one is going to get excited about a boring brand world.
Our ‘difference’ is that we strive to make every aspect of a brand world fascinating, from packaging and print to digital and display. We don’t just collate a brand world (that’s easy) – we make it fizz, flex and fascinate in all channels. How do we do that? That’s where the real magic lies. Our secret lies in following four key pillars:
1. Fascinating foundations
We uncover that elusive strategic advantage (when we research, we go deeeeep).
We supercharge the creative differences that make you more distinctive (by creating DBAs that project a brand’s vision and values).
2. Consistent design brilliance
We ensure every corner of your multi-channelled world is designed brilliantly and appears consistently (not formulaic).
3. Compelling brand voice
We articulate your stories in the most compelling way (unique stories and reasons to believe told in a unique voice).
4. Ever-evolving guardianship
We are passionate brand champions, helping you react to new commercial opportunities quicker (our long-term guardianship helps brands be more proactive, evolve constantly and amplify powerfully).
Whether you’re building, evolving or amplifying your brand, having a fascinating brand world to springboard off will provide lasting advantage – whether that’s uniting your organisation, launching products at pace, building deeper global recognition, stopping market inconsistencies or simply keeping your campaigns and comms on-brand. Every visionary brand needs a fascinating brand world to help it succeed and grow.
What does your brand world need to make it truly fascinating?