Thriving impact business leaders share the clear (and sometimes surprising) benefits of investing in brand development and design.
Published on LinkedIn Pulse by Ralston Vaz
Like most customers, I love a good social enterprise brand. When an impact business has a confidence of purpose, it draws us into their story and compels us to consider their offerings. Layer on top of that an unforgettable name and a thoughtfully-crafted logo and now that impact business is winning things like recognition and trust from customers and investors alike.
Clearly, a good brand of ‘Good’ is an incredible thing to behold.
I reached out to six impact business leaders who manage classy, thoughtful and effective brands of social good. My question: How did investing in brand strategy and brand identity design benefit these great social enterprises. I’d like to share what they revealed.
Jimani Collections
“Investing in brand strategy and brand identity has helped us to carefully curate a social enterprise with meaning and purpose. We’ve been able to build our brand equity by consistently delivering clear and engaging content and by using a tone that fully reflects the values of our brand. Through the formation of a strong brand strategy and brand identity, we’ve been able to better share our process and the stories of the women behind our products, creating an authentic and compelling experience for our audience.”
—Stephanie Stanton, Co-Founder, Director of Marketing and Business Development
The THX Co.
“First impression definitely matters, and that’s true times 10 for any company nowadays. You have to be able to say a lot within a few glimpses, always being sure you are communicating your story consistently across all your company’s platforms (or each consumer touch-point). Without investing time and resources in developing a proper brand strategy, your message will no doubt be lost in the sea of competition present today.“
—Ricardo Juan Bueso, Co-founder and Managing Director
Tilt Magazine
“Aside from helping Tilt develop a strong voice and stand out in an overcrowded world, investing in a brand strategy and brand identity design has impacted us in a way that we never expected. The process of developing an effective brand strategy forced us to dive deeper into the ‘why’ behind what we are trying to achieve, further enabling us to stay true to our mission throughout everything that we do, which is crucial for any impact driven organisation or entrepreneur.”
—Jackie Colmar, Co-Founder and Editor
ENAT
“We knew what we wanted to create with ENAT, but we didn’t know how to convey that easily to other people. Investing in brand identity not only made ENAT more professional, but made it so that we were able to succinctly communicate what we were all about to the outside world. This of course allowed us to attract the kinds of people we were trying to reach.”
—Olivia Amter and Eliza Richman, Co-Founders
Half United
“When we first began, we didn’t have a logo or a consistent set of fonts or a brand identity at all. Everything we created was “willy nilly” and out of focus. We hired an amazing graphic designer, fresh out of SCAD who really opened our eyes to design and branding and their importance. Not until we had these things and consistently used them were people able to recognize us as a brand. It’s been a journey figuring out who we are and who we market to. And if we were confused, I’m certain our customer was confused! Nailing down who we wanted our customer to be has made things a lot more clear for us. Every time we create something, whether it be a new product, graphic design, a photo shoot, or a post to instagram, we now think, “okay, is this our customer and would she enjoy this?” Having this clarity is now setting us up for a great year with a focus on where we want to go and who we want to continue to become.”
—Christian Black, Co-Founder
This Bar Saves Lives
“This Bar Saves Lives is about as loud as it gets. The message is clear, provocative, and aspirational. From that bold statement to the consistent look & feel on all packaging–the TBSL brand must speak for us each and every time someone picks up one of our bars.”
—Matt Saperstein, Director of Growth
Take their word for it. While I can tell you investing in branding is well worth the advantage it affords your social enterprise in the marketplace, you might consider me a little bias. I’m the co-founder of a brand consultancy for social enterprise, after all. But these brands of social good speak for themselves.
Each has an amazingly compelling presence with brand identities that appear to have been crafted with purpose in mind. The distinct brand strategies and positions of each of these six social enterprises can be felt through their stories and throughout their messages.
Jimani Collections, The THX Co., Tilt Magazine, ENAT, HALF UNITED, and This Bar Saves Lives all have brands that just make you want to trust, try and share them. Excellent examples of impact branding done right!
I agree! Social enterprises need to drive their brands if they are to successfully drive their missions. That’s why our firm, which provides legal and financial advice to social enterprises and other stakeholders in the evolving Social Impact Ecosystem, now helps clients create and distribute books as instrumentalities of social mission.