Brand Essence vs. Brand Identity

Finding an image to go with articles can be quite a challenge, however this one completely encapsulates the point that I want to make; the Brand Essence of your company is a collection of characteristics that sit at the heart of everything the company does and makes the company what it is, whereas your Brand Identity is the physicalisation of attributes that somebody has decided should represent the company.  The essence ‘is’ and the identity is ‘created’.

So why the eggs?

The main reasons that we all buy and cook eggs can not be seen – yet together they make up the essence of an egg:

•  100% natural
• taste
• source of quality protein
• binding attributes
• emulsifier
• clarifier

whereas the identity of the product, an egg in its basic form is quite clear:

• its shape
• its hard shell

We might be persuaded to buy a particular brand of eggs as a result of the decoration or physical packaging – the brand identity:

• logo
• design
• fonts
• colours

But whatever any logos, colours or other branding tell us, the buying decision is easy for us because we all know what the essence of an egg is.  The brand identity makes absolutely no difference to the results we will get when we use or eat the egg.

How does this relate to you and your business?

Customers buy the essence of your company – they buy the unseen characteristics and values that make you genuinely unique and different to other companies who provide the same product or service.  However, for most companies the process of creating a brand identity involves employing brand or marketing consultants who look at the business based on the products or services along with words that represent how the company wants to be seen.   The brand identity is therefore created around physical properties and aspirations rather than being a true representation of the essence of the brand that your customers want to buy.

I am not suggesting that this is an either/or situation,  branding and marketing consultants have a key role to play in helping you to create a visual brand.  The point is that if you make the time to discover the true essence of your brand before embarking on the creation of new physical branding, the resulting brand identity will be a genuine representation of what your company actually is – the purpose and values that underpin everything it does – dare I use the word authentic?

How would you prefer to be seen by your clients?  As a product-based created brand or as purposeful and true to your values…

Richard Flewitt
An insightful approach
to Brand Essence &
leadership

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