BRANDING METHODS
The Enterprise Transformation Catalyzer
Communication Guidelines
The Power of Consistency for Building Brands Globally
Pain point
If a brand is a person, the way the person talks, dresses, acts and reacts should have the same characteristics no matter where the person appears. But often brands encounter a “multiple personality” problem that their tone and manner have drastic differences among different touchpoints. That results in an inconsistent brand image and defeats the purpose of brand communication- accumulating brand equity.
What are Communication Guidelines?
Consistency is key to building a strong brand identity and accumulating brand equity. However, many brands struggle with maintaining a consistent tone and manner across different touchpoints. This is where communication guidelines come in, providing a set of guidelines to ensure that a brand communicates in a branded voice that aligns with the company’s values and goals. In this article, we will explore the importance of communication guidelines, how they work, and how they can help accelerate enterprise transformation.
What are Communication Guidelines?
Communication Guidelines refer to a set of guidelines that define the manner that a brand communicates with its target audience on various touchpoints, often consisting of verbal and visual guidelines.
Communication Guidelines answer these 5 questions for my brand:
Visual Guidelines for Look & Feel: How to show the brand image when appearing in visuals for different touchpoints? (ex. key visuals, banners, WeChat visuals etc.)
Verbal Guidelines for Tone of Voice: How does the brand talk to the target audience via different channels?
Dos & Don’ts: What are the things the brand definitely will and won’t do?
Campaign Guidelines: What art and copy direction should the brand follow for a campaign?
E-Commerce Guidelines: What format should the brand follow to create a main-page or product page for e-commerce?
A good set of communication guidelines ensures that a brand communicates in a consistent manner across all touchpoints, from advertising campaigns to e-commerce pages. This consistency helps to accumulate brand equity, optimize marketing ROI and operational efficiency, and eventually accelerate enterprise transformation.
A Good Example: Apple
Apple is considered one of the most powerful brands in the world, with a consistent brand image that aligns with the company’s values and goals. Let’s take a closer look at how Apple’s communication guidelines work:
- Look & Feel: Apple’s visuals are ahead of the trend of simplicity, showing a modern aesthetic that’s tied to a certain level of hipness and affluence.
- Tone of Voice: Apple’s tone is upbeat, conversational, and confident, conveying a powerful yet playful message.
- Dos & Don’ts: Apple always strives to be imaginative, innovative, and humanistic, while avoiding anything that’s unoriginal or complicated.
- Campaign Guidelines: Apple sells emotions, not products, and everything that goes into the campaign establishes a heartfelt connection with its customers.
- E-Commerce Guidelines: Apple’s e-commerce pages focus on white space with a single focal piece, displaying information in a clear, straightforward, and organized way that follows the current aesthetic.
How Communication Guidelines are different from VI guidelines
VI guidelines are a core part of Brand Identity while Communication Guidelines serve more for the marketing application end often consist of both visual and verbal parts.
Why Communication Guidelines Matter for Enterprise Transformation
Communication guidelines are essential for enterprise transformation because they ensure that a brand communicates in a consistent manner throughout the journey from brand transformation to brand amplification to brand implementation. This consistency helps to build a strong brand identity, accumulate brand equity, optimize marketing ROI and operational efficiency, and eventually accelerate enterprise transformation.
How can it help with your enterprise transformation and why is it important to your company?
Communication Guidelines help brands to communicate in a branded voice that
- Accumulates brand equity
- Optimizes marketing ROI and operational efficiency
- Eventually accelerates enterprise transformation
Communication Guidelines help brands to communicate in a consistent manner throughout the journey from
- Brand Transformation
- Brand Amplification
- Brand Implementation
Conclusion
Consistency is key to building a strong brand identity, accumulating brand equity, and accelerating enterprise transformation. Communication guidelines provide a set of guidelines to ensure that a brand communicates in a consistent manner across all touchpoints, from advertising campaigns to e-commerce pages. By following these guidelines, brands can build a powerful brand identity that aligns with their values and goals, and ultimately drives business success.
