What is a Brand Kit and Why Should I Care?
Have you ever heard the term “brand kit,” branding kit,” or “identity brand kit?” If so, have you ever wondered what it is and if you need one? Yes, it is true that they sound like a media kit, press kit, or electronic press kit, but there is a difference.
Before we delve into what it is and why you might want to put one together, let’s talk about the word, “brand.”
Brand versus Identity
Many times, we think of the word brand, when we should be thinking of the word identity. For example, when you see a yellow spongy-looking treat, you may think “Twinkie.” The visual appearance of the item makes you think of a name. Of course, that is the name of the product and not the brand or company. In the case of the Twinkie, that may have changed since you last saw one.
How about the “Golden Arches?” Do you know what I am referring to, with “Golden Arches?” Many of you will recognize that as the brand of McDonalds®. Some of you may even look at the hamburger, above, and also think “McDonalds®.” This is really called brand recognition (the “Golden Arches”) and brand association (the hamburger).
So, What IS a Brand?
The word “brand” really has more to do with the perception than specifics of the brand. It has to do with a response by the person rather than tangible items. However, the tangible items are also a part of the process of brand and contributing to the resultant perception. More on what those tangible (and intangible) items are, in the discussion of the kit.
Let’s think about the recent commercial by Jack in the Box®.
Some will watch that video and think, “Oh, that is funny,” and associate a sense of humor with the brand of Jack in the Box®. Others will ignore the messaging and see the food, their mouths watering, and associate the visual appearance of yummy food with Jack in the Box®. Others will watch it and think “clumsy” or “klutz” with the thought of Jack in the Box®. And, still, others will watch it and believe that Jack in the Box® lacks a corporate responsibility with no attention to order and the clerk caring more about her tummy than her responsibilities. Some will have a combined response.
In the case of Jack in the Box®, this is their branding. In the case of this commercial, there is a bit of a confused branding, as there are quite a few different avenues of perspective, none of which have a really concrete buying message (except maybe the visual on the food). In the case of the Jack in the Box® Marketing Campaign, an analyst could ask what the objective is, in the branding of Jack in the Box®.
Ok, admittedly, we are getting a bit geeky. I think you get the basic idea of what brand and branding is, eh?
What is Identity?
Brand and Identity are often confused. Identity, in terms of an “Identity Kit” has more to do with the inclusion of logos, a list of colors, fonts, images, etc. that are used so that people will be able to have an experience of brand recognition. A more accurate definition for a “kit” that includes these items would be a “Brand Identity Kit” and may include some of the same items that are included in a media or press kit, but definitely includes the consistent items that a marketing team, graphics designer, and social media marketer would need to ensure brand identity consistency.
Still confused about the term “kit” and all these fun words? Curious to know more? Watch the SlideShare, below, to find out about the different kits and where they are similar, where they cross over, and where they are different.
Why Should I Care?
Ok, I think you already picked up the answer to this, but the reason you should care is that you want to be able to have consistency in your branding. Similar to the “Golden Arches,” you want people to recognize your company when they see a particular logo, or even a color scheme or font.
When you see the image, above, what comes to mind? It helps that the word is also included in the logo (another great branding idea!). Do you also see the distinct modification of the “o’s” in Socialnomics? (Another memory cue, to help in brand recognition.) In this case, Socialnomics.net would have a kit that includes the color green that is used, the logo, and any specifics that are required for their consistency, to enable brand recognition. This may or may not impact brand perspective, but it definitely contributes to brand recognition, and isn’t that a great place to start?!
How Do I Put Together My Own Brand Kit?
There is a great article, that includes all of the elements that you could add to your brand kit. It is located at filecamp.com. They also provide a service. You can use the article to compile your list of items and load it into your website, with a “brand kit directory” page for people to use when navigating the components. It may be just as easy to pull together all of these components, zip them, and add it to a private Dropbox, providing a link to those who need access. You don’t even have to zip it to Dropbox and that allows you to update it as needed and to have a virtual team approach to keeping it fresh and ready at a moment’s notice.
There you have it, the “why” and the “how” for your own brand identity kit. Now, you are on your way to brand identity consistency and brand identity recognition. Maybe you, too, can be the next “Golden Arches” in your niche or industry!
You might also be interested in Top Motivational Speaker for more branding tips!
