Consumers can easily remember some brands without seeing the brand name or logo. This situation, which occurs subconsciously, is related to the ‘strong brand identity’ of brands. Emphasizing that brands that want to create an impact should look beyond the logo and brand name to the reminders that reach the 5 senses, Tasarist Creative Director Musa Çelik said, “Visual elements are very effective tools in representing the brand. However, we need to broaden our perspective and trust in the power of time in order to create a strong brand identity and then embed it.”
A strong brand identity encompasses all the elements that enable consumers to quickly remember the brand. The brand name and logo are two basic and very important issues in brand building, but they are extremely insufficient in placing the brand perception in the consumer’s subconscious. Therefore, from a broad perspective, a strong brand identity with customized reminders for the 5 senses emerges. Recently, there are applications where global brands remove logos from their products or advertising campaigns and give a message to the consumer. Moreover, the consumer recognizes the brand from the color, the shape of the packaging or the font, without even seeing the name of the brand. Musa Çelik, Creative Director at Tasarist, emphasizes that the underlying reason for this is unquestionably strong brand identity and brand awareness: “To achieve this power, brands must associate themselves with the emotions of the consumer and make the reminders of the brand consistent and continuous at all times. If the strong brand identity is not coherent and the experience offered in the products is variable, this weakens the power of the brand and prevents memorability by disrupting the integrity.”
Awareness does not bring recognition to brands
Brand awareness and brand recognition are often confused or thought to be the same. Although the two concepts are related, there is a significant distinction between them, which also affects the path to brand sales. Brand awareness is defined as the consumer’s awareness of the brand’s existence, while brand recognition is defined as the consumer’s ability to identify the brand through its visual and auditory elements. In fact, brand awareness can lead to brand recognition in the long run and their relationship is based on this point, but the possibility that it may not go beyond the level of awareness should not be ignored. Musa Çelik, Creative Director at Tasarist, states that a strong brand identity is much more than just the fact that a logo has been seen or a brand name has been heard before, and that the soul and story of the brand should be handled as a whole and presented to the consumer as a whole.
“Brand – consumer relationship is in the hands of time, not money”
Strong brand identity elements of brands and their products are used to influence consumer buying behavior. The fact that the consumer encounters the same and reminding content at every point of contact with the brand increases the sense of trust in the brand without being aware of it. In this way, the consistent brand identity gains a place in the consumer’s subconscious with its associations. For brands that develop a strong brand identity after deep consumer analysis, “Reflect a strong brand identity at all touch points, and your final step is to leave your brand to the consumer’s time. It is in the hands of time rather than money to strengthen this relationship!” Musa Çelik says.
