There is nothing more foundational to a campaign or company than your brand. Your brand is what makes you instantly recognizable and easily identifiable. It’s the culmination of who you are, what you do, and what you stand for. Your brand is the first thing people see when they think about you, your campaign, or your product – the image that sticks in their minds before any other information catches up behind.
The most successful campaigns and companies have iconic brands – and that extends well beyond a catchy slogan or logo. A brand encapsulates everything about you distilled into a vibe, feeling, and or series of images. You need a good one to stand out, so be sure to consider…
4 | Know Who You Are
This may sound like a no-brainer, but before you start developing your brand, you need to ask yourself “Who am I?”
For a campaign, that means asking yourself:
- what is your story?
- why do the issues you stand for matter to you?
- what are your campaign priorities?
- what about you would make someone want to support you?
For a company, it’s about telling your story and demonstrating the value of your products and services. This will not only convince folks to buy from you but to buy into the entity behind the product as well.
You can’t build an identity without a firm understanding of your own story. But that’s not the only thing you need to understand…
3 | Know Your Intended Audience
Your brand doesn’t just reflect who or what you are, it has to reflect the needs of the communities and consumer bases you’re targeting.
You may have a great story to tell and great products to sell, but they have to be seen as an organic answer to a need to be truly captivating. When Duolingo’s owl, Duo, comes onto your screen with regular silly antics, the point proven isn’t just that Duolingo is a fun company – it’s that they’re pushing back on the idea that learning a language can’t be a fun and lighthearted process. When Bernie Sanders ran his Medicare for All-centered campaigns in 2016 and 2020, he was not just speaking his truth – he knew millions across the country were struggling under medical debt and high costs.
Brands appeal to their viewers when they are visually appealing and engaging, but they speak to their audiences when they hit on needs or assumptions held by the people they’re selling to. When our team came together in 2022 to help an underdog Alaskan candidate build her brand, we saw her background as a fisherman as well as the statewide issue of fishery health. We came up with “Fish, Family, Freedom” and helped build a campaign around those principles. Months later, Mary Peltola would go on to flip Alaska’s House of Representatives seat for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Understanding your audience will be even more helpful when you realize that you also need to…
2 | Identify Your Core Message or Goal
“Fish, Family, Freedom” didn’t just work for Mary Peltola because it told her story and identified issues Alaskans cared about. It worked because, on top of that, it met the goal she set out when she chose to run: saving Alaska fisheries. She had a short and powerful list of priorities for her state, and they blended perfectly with who she was and what people wanted.
In a similar vein, when our team later rebranded the Alaska Democratic Party and helped build their “Veto-Proof Majority” campaign, we did so knowing that:
- the Democrats needed fresh, bold aesthetic change to capture the minds of otherwise disengaged voters.
- voters cared about a number of key issues statewide (specifically education spending)
- the party had a singular goal of expanding legislative majorities to override the veto of an anti-education, anti-Alaskan governor.
What came out of that was a stunning brand for the party and its statewide efforts that told voters they are engaged, ready to fight for them, and have a defined plan. It’s no surprise that they ended up winning elections statewide in the 2024 cycle as a result.
When you have a clearly outlined goal, you can better build your brand to not just be appealing, but effective. Having a reason behind what you’re doing not only gives your team purpose but also helps you define your strategy and the milestones that you need to hit to succeed. That’s a lot easier when you…
1 | Find a Team That Can Turn Your Vision Into a Reality
You have a vision for a brand, but you shouldn’t have to plan and design it all on your own. You need a team.
Putting a team together to build your brand ensures that your vision can become a reality. Even better, they can give you new ideas and strategies you might not have thought of at all. They’re the people you can go to for advice and ultimately count on to help you succeed. That’s what we do.
Need help figuring out how to get started, or want someone to show you how you can improve your own operations? Which Side Digital has years of experience organizing at every level and can help build your team a brand they can be proud of. Set up a free call with us today, and see what we can do to give you a plan and ensure you’re getting everything you want out of your efforts in the digital space.
Avoid the headache of having to find staff and hope for the best. We’re here to help, and we’re excited to talk about what we can do for you.
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