From your website to sales materials to advertising to P.R., every point of communication is an opportunity to shape the perception of your company. When you define in advance what this perception should be, the result is unified messaging and maximum consumer impact.

Unfortunately, many companies rush to develop creative without a clear vision of what they stand for, how they are positioned, and the overall perception they need to create. Inconsistent, scatter-shot messaging and wasted dollars is the result.

That’s why a brand strategy is critical. A brand strategy defines what your company stands for, the personality it must convey, and the key messages that must come through implicitly or explicitly in all communications. In essence, it is the “master” campaign strategy against which all subsequent communications are developed.

Most companies develop advertising from their own view point, focusing on presenting the features and functions they believe differentiate their products, while ignoring the opportunity to create a lasting emotional bond with consumers.

Ours is a different starting point. We begin with the consumer, ask what kind of person he or she wants to be, and then develop creative that speaks directly and powerfully towards that aspiration.

The result is work that inspires rather than pitches, tag lines that are rallying cries, and campaigns that use humor and emotion to cut through the clutter of offers that vie for your customers’ attention. It’s all about honoring the audience, sparking their imagination, and speaking to their deepest aspirations and unmet needs.

First impressions count. That’s why your company’s visual identity is so important. It’s what your customers see first – before they’ve read a word of copy, seen your products, or listened to your sales pitch.

The right visual identity creates instant credibility, signals your personality, and begins the work of shaping a positive consumer perception. A second-rate visual identity can take you out of the running before the race has even begun.

Visual identity is more than a logo; it is an overall visual concept that unites the design of all your communications, from website to advertising to direct mail. The key is finding a visual identity that connects to and reinforces the perception you are trying to create in the mind of your target audience. Aesthetics matter. But the idea driving the aesthetics is just as important.

The rise of social media adds a new dimension to the online marketing experience. Now, campaigns are not just distributed, they are tweeted, posted, and shared. It’s like word-of-mouth taken to the next level.

As with any media, the key is user engagement: putting the user at the center of an experience that is so entertaining, participatory, and social that they’ll be compelled to pass it on to their friends.

The Branding Company has created a broad array of social media and user-driven marketing programs for companies such as Bursa Malaysia, Standard Chartered, Johnson & Johnsons, among others. Although the technologies used in each campaign differ, all adhere to our core philosophy of audience-centric, aspiration-driven communications.