Whenever we talk about a company brand, we are not merely talking about a set of guidelines on how to use logos and taglines. We’re talking about how that specific mark or set of styles communicates and expresses what the company, product or service is about. In my experience, there can be at least ten branding strategies. A company can:

1. Be the first
2. Be the expert
3. Be the leader
4. Be the anti-leader
5. Be preferred (as in we are the preferred partner in a venture)
6. Own an attribute (this can be aspirational as well)
7. Own a cause (for example to eradicate poverty through micro lending)
8. Be special (proprietary technology falls in this category)
9. Use its history (for example craftsmanship from the hills of Romagna)
10. Use a carefully planned pricing strategy (for example Tiffany’s)

There needs to be a grounding in truth, of course, even when aspirational. Each one of these strategies signals that something is different, unique and special. This distinction will give people a reason to choose that company instead of another. Determining what the company or you are about is the first step. Then you can decide what symbols to use to signal your point(s) of difference.

Take for example flags. They are symbols of the countries they represent. Flags have a meaning, too. For example, the Italian flag depicts three vertical colors – green, white and red. They represent hope, faith and charity, in this order. I bring it up as the flag flew first in Modena, my home town, in 1797 as the banner of the Cisalpine Republic. A flag has personality. It represents and stands for something in the minds and hearts of the people it reaches. It creates an emotional connection with them.

So should your brand. We form the strongest bonds with rands we like, identify with, and feel connected with emotionally. A powerful brand comes with personality – something that makes us feel more in control and self-assured. Personality does not need to be perfect, nor does it need to be polished. It needs however to be believable.

Did you see the first Dirty Dancing movie? Jennifer Grey’s nose had so much personality that when she went ahead and changed it a little later, people would not recognize her and parts where hard to come by. The nose she came with was seared in our memory. The lesson here is don’t change just for the sake of changing. Ground your brand expressions in your company personality. Personality is something you come with.