Branding Agencies: What They Are, How To Use Them, and the Best Branding Companies Around
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All brands require branding to differentiate their product or service from their rivals. This means a clear visual brand image, such as logo design, web design, and marketing strategies.
In an era of social media marketing and short attention spans, branding today is much more complicated than it used to be. It combines communication techniques and tech tools.
A branding consultancy can provide a strategic communications strategy to reach a wide market and increase revenue.
What does a branding agency do?
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Branding services are incredibly important for businesses. Working with a branding agent can be useful in identifying a brand identity, brand positioning, and evaluating your target market.
A talented team uses psychology and marketing, reads market and industry trends, and develops a consistent brand voice for any brand. Here are some of the things a good professional brand design agency does.
Brand Positioning
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By developing a brand identity (defining brand values and how a brand stands out from competitors in order to gain a competitive advantage), branding companies help establish how a brand will be perceived by prospective clients and customers. Branding agencies help to position a brand in relation to its competitors, whether it is a small business or a global brand.
2. Generate Brand Recognition
The most successful brands are those with strong brand recognition. This means a great logo design as well as a consistent and memorable visual identity.
The best branding agency will combine extensive research, keeping in mind the intended consumer group, and the brand's vision and identity in order to generate a strong image. This image will then be used in brand promotion, marketing campaigns, and beyond.
Being memorable is important, because it keeps a brand from blending in with every other similar brand on the shelf, or in the industry. Burberry recently underwent a major revamp of their logo design and general branding strategy, returning to an updated version of their original brand design.
This helps Burberry maintain a strong sense of brand identity, in keeping with who they are and have always been. This is in opposition to their previous strategy, which included a logo in the same font as a dozen other brands in the fashion industry.
In other words, a unique logo combined with a new digital marketing strategy, both of which adhere to Burberry's brand identity, sets them apart from the competition.
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3. Develop Brand Consistency
Just as important as having a recognizable brand identity is maintaining a consistent image. This means a coherent visual story across digital marketing, store design, brand strategies, and beyond. Creative agencies can be a helpful tool not only in designing brand strategies, but also in executing them successfully.
For example, this marketing campaign from Absolute Vodka is one of the most prolific and successful in history. This is because it is highly memorable, and the imagery is consistent and creative. This demonstrates great brand strategy taken into the marketing realm.
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Difference between a branding agency and marketing agency
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The most simple way to explain the difference between a branding agency and a marketing agency is that branding comes first, and marketing comes second. A brand agency is crucial in developing brand recognition.
Branding agencies help make your brand unique and recognizable to the consumer. This includes logo design, lexicon branding, brand voice, and even web design. Once a solid brand identity is constructed, that is when it is time to start working with a marketing team.
A marketing agency creates messages and visuals needed for communication with your target audience. They use an already existing brand personality to advertise your brand across various platforms.
Marketing agencies can help develop marketing strategies, which may also include brand development. A marketing manager helps to develop the right marketing materials for your target market, whereas a brand consultant focuses more on brand image.
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How Much Do Branding Agencies Charge for Their Services?
Branding costs vary depending in part on the size and complexity of the work required. A top branding agency might charge as much as $25,000 for a brand identity design.
A logo design, on its own, might cost between $150 and $300, though this varies on the size of your brand. Pepsi, famously, paid around $1,000,000 to redesign their logo.
Some branding agencies charge by hour; brands in Eastern Europe charge between $35-$75 per hour, whereas American agencies are around $125-200.
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What to look for when finding a Branding Agency
Diverse brand portfolios
When finding the right branding agency for you, it is important to look to the brands that an agency has previously worked with. A diverse repertoire of brand type and visual identity demonstrates that an agency has branding expertise.
It is necessary to understand the type of work that a specific branding company does. Do they focus on brand creation? Do they work with small business or the world's biggest brands?
Top branding agencies have a broad portfolio, but understanding a brand strategists' style is important in order to determine if they will be a good fit for your needs.
2. Communication
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This is pretty sraightforward, but when looking for branding agencies, look for companies that are communicative and collaborative. It is not enough that they are great at brand strategy; they must also communicate their ideas and listen to what you want when defining brand strategies.
It can be difficult to remember that brands are prospective clients for branding agencies, not vice vera. You should be treated well by your branding agency.
3. Potential Return on Investment (ROI)
When employing reputable branding agencies, clients will get a great return on investment. When seeking out branding agencies to use, it is okay to look for specific data that demonstrates improved brand performance.
Take the time to explore branding companies. The right branding agency will align with your brand identity, or what you would like that identity to be. Brand identity design is extremely important, and it is important that both you and the branding agency that you work with are happy with the overall branding project.
4. Planning for Long Term Success
A brand strategy should expand beyond, say, logo design. Top branding agencies create brands, but they also work beyond the beginning stages of brand strategy, helping you with long term success.
This means brand management and maintaining an image that stays to to the target market. It may also mean assistance in marketing, if your agency also specializes in this, or it may mean working with a marketing director to execute marketing campaigns that align with brand strategy.
The 6 Best Branding Agencies
DesignStudio
Locations: San Francisco, CA., London, UK., Sydney, AU
Top clients: Airbnb, Penguin Random House, Premiere League.
This London based branding firm is an expert at developing brand strategies. They pride themselves on three principles, which are contagious energy, unconventional research, and bold leaps. Their broad experience in global branding makes it one of the top branding agencies in the world.
2. Motto
Locations: New York, NY., Dallas, TX.
Top clients: Google, Microsoft, Virgin Voyages
Motto is a global branding agency that places value on the team. Their focus can be summed up in two categories: developing a meaningful brand strategy and bringing it to life with great design.
3. Bluemarlin
Locations: London, UK., New York, NY., Mumbai, India.
Top clients: Shell, Vaseline.
This branding agency based out of Bath, in the United Kingdom, is another creative agency with a solid track record. They work with existing brands and on brand development to create lasting, iconic brands.
4. TOP Agency
Locations : San Francisco, CA., Austin, TX. New York, NY.
Top clients: Coca Cola, Postmates, New York State.
TOP Agency is another diverse and entrepreneurial group. The branding agency also does content marketing and digital marketing. It is a leading brand marketing agency that offers a range of services based on the clients needs and specific business requirements.
5. Mucho
Locations: Barcelona, SP., San Francisco, CA., Melbourne, AU., New York, NY., Paris, FR.
Top clients: Visa, Dolby, Paypal
This international branding company emphasizes research and analysis. By doing so, they work to align brand messaging with a business model in order to develop a successful brand story.
6. Collins
Locations: New York, NY., San Francisco, CA.
Top clients: Facebook, Mailchimp, Girls Scouts of the US
Collins, like any creative branding agency, works to develop branding strategies in order to create brands that "cannot be ignored". Using creative strategy and market research, Collins aims to give its clients a competitive advantage and a strong visual identity.
So…
In a digital world with a short attention span, branding is more important than ever. The branding process can be daunting, so using a branding agency is a smart way to help make brand development that much easier. Not to mention, a branding agency will help to set a strong foundation that allows for more secure, reliable long term success.
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