Companies often still think in silos. This means that different departments are too rarely encouraged to work closely together. This has a major impact on communications and brand management in particular. After all, the two areas are highly interdependent. But even when they do work together on a project, it is often only at the operational level. Not on a deeper, strategic level.
The brand determines much of the communication. It determines the character, the tonality, and to some extent also the topics for the messages. The brand is the basis for communication.
If communication does not properly pick up on these guidelines and pass them on, the branding will be washed out. As a result, a lot of potential is wasted. A brand is more than just a logo, slogans and trends. It carries the reputation and values of a company. Used correctly, it ensures long-term customer loyalty and credibility. The task of communication is now to make the brand outwardly alive and tangible. This influences how (potential) customers perceive the product or service. Good brand communication can literally create fans of one's own company. This also applies to internal communication. It helps to ensure that all employees have the same understanding of the corporate brand, identify with it, value it and pass it on.
A strong brand: the cornerstone of all disciplines
So there is an interaction between brand management and communication. One changes the other and they need each other. Even the best brand is not perceived without good communication, and communication without a brand concept behind it quickly becomes interchangeable and meaningless.
In our experience, it has been shown that a strong brand supports all other disciplines as well. If you manage to establish clear branding, the impressions of all players and stakeholders are united. The different departments then pull together more strongly and corporate goals are achieved more easily. The right target group is addressed more accurately and every interaction with customers becomes a little easier.
Good branding: The composer for your communication orchestra
So how exactly can brand and communication work together? By both disciplines composing music together that stands out from the noise. We think that good branding can be compared to music. Everyone is trying to shout something out into the world with their communication. Everything is jumbled, loud, uncoordinated. It stresses and disturbs and creates reactions like, "I don't want to see any more advertising." A well-constructed and communicated brand, on the other hand, has the same effect on the target group as music. It is pleasant, connects, gives pleasure, and can even inspire.
How to: What does this mean in practice?
The advantages of closely dovetailing brand and communication are manifold and vary greatly depending on a company's individual situation. The following three examples illustrate the spectrum of modern brand communication.
1. brand voice & content strategy: In principle, it is easy to implement for many companies to use communication as a lever to bring a brand experience to potential customers at every contact by defining a brand voice and a brand-affine content strategy. Relevant B2B examples are often found in marketing technology and SaaS solutions, as both industries have a high affinity to both content marketing and branding.
2. brand as a beacon: Complex Group structures often make it difficult for individual subsidiary brands to develop the necessary power in communications - either because there are not enough resources for all the brands to lead, or because a strong umbrella or main brand attracts too much attention. A practical example can be found here in the interview about the brand restructuring of the Körber Group.
3. using the brand to activate new target groups: Traditional brands in particular often find themselves in the situation of being trapped in a certain perception solely due to their well-known history. However, media-emphasized, classic brand campaigns are rarely an option for B2B companies, so that the importance of brand-emphasized communication must be rated particularly highly here. This can be implemented above all by cleverly combining content and topics that are appropriate to the target group and the brand, flanked by a strong brand presence on the digital channels.
