COLOURS PSYCHOLOGY IN BRANDING

"What is your favourite colour?" from this question, it is very probable that you will know the answer with ease. Whatever colour you choose, it is sure to be a colour which fits the personal identity you want to expose. Then how important is it for us to have to understand the psychological influence of colour invisualizing a brand, so that it fits with the personality and reality you wish to communicate to your target market?

We need to know that in nature colours are divided into four groups: primary, secondary, tertiary and neutral. Primary colours are the base colours, which cannot be mixed from other colours. The colours included in the primary colour category are red, blue and yellow. Secondary colours are the results of mixing primary colours with the proportion 1:1, i.e., orange as the result of mixing red and yellow, green is a mixture of blue and yellow, while purple is a mixture of red and blue. Next are the tertiary colours, as a result of mixing a primary colour with a secondary colour, an example of which is yellowy—orange which is obtained by mixing yellow with orange. And finally are the neutral colours, which are the result of mixing the threebase colours with the proportion 1:1:1. This colour often appears to balance contrasting colours, and usually the result of this mixture will approach black.

In our daily life, without us being aware of it, these colours have already become a part of who we are, for example if someone really likes yellow, then if we pay close attention, that person will almost certainly have a happy, bright and energetic nature. The same is true in the choice of colour in branding visualisation. which is important to facilitate the public in associating with the brand identity which the brand owner displays, whether the company wants to look very professional, full of dynamism, or looking approachable. All of this must fit the target market, vision, mission and brand development strategy of the company.

Of course you often see brands which offer cafe retail, which have a brand identity coloured brown which is easily associated with the products an offer, combined with inspirational natural colours in the design interior. All this is undertaken so that the consumer feels comfortable for as long as they are enjoying their drink, and it is often used as a meeting place for long chats with relativesThis is because the colour psychology helps in creating a complete brand experience, without forgetting product quality, service, andthe brand reality itself.

Have you also noticed that fast food restaurants are often decorated with red, orange, or yellow? This is not just a coincidence, because scientific research shows that red, orange and yellow push visitors to have a faster eating rythm. Of course, after you finish eating, there is little possibility ust to sit and chat with your relatives.

Another case is children’s books and toy brands and products, which usually use bright colours. Children prefer these colours to dark colours. From these cases we can see how important the process of choosing and integrating colours is in the branding process.

It is not just the meaning of the colours which you need to consider, but you must research first the attitudes and preferences of your target market. Local cultural factors can also play a role in making the meaning of a colour different. As an example, be careful of using the colour white in China, because it is often associated with mourning in their culture. Often the public in a tropical country will respond more easily to warm colours, while the opposite is true for those in areas with a colder climate. Finally, colour does not just remind us of a display and communicate brand personality, but indirectly colour influences a person's behaviour. Knowing this, then of course in conceptualising a brand visual identity we have to pay attention to various aspects to be wiser in balancing colour and the psychological aspects displayed, because in each application, all colours must be applied with the same, consistent colour configuration.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSISTENCY

In this global era. competition is already so tight, in trading both goods and services. In daily life we come across so many different brands for the same type of product, for example,even just to buy margarine there are so many choices, such as Simas Margarine, Forvita, Filma, and many more. However, there is one brand which comes up first in the public mind, known as 'top of mind', in this case is Blue Band. Our challenge now is how to make your company brand be ’top of mind' in consumer perceptions.

Lots of effort is made to develop and introduce your brand to consumers. Unfortunately many companies forget to maintain the consistency of the brand they own as an investment for the future. Maintaining a brand is a very important asset, as it forms the identity of a company. One important element in maintaining a brand is from the visual aspect, represented by the brand mark and brand application. Brandmark forms a symbol, inside which is the soul of the company. In creating a brandmark, do not think of it as just pleasing to the eye because a successful brand mark is a brand mark which fits the values, essence and mission and vision of the company. Once the brand mark has been appropriately created,that doesn't mean that maintaining the brand is done. To keep consumer trust, the brand mark and its application have to stay consistent. One way of maintaining this consistency is by following brand guidelines or the Graphic Standard Manual (GSM).

Graphic Standard Manual (GSM)

Maybe there are still some people who are not really familiar with the term Brand Guidelines. Brand Guidelines, also known as a Graphic Standard Manual (GSM), is a book containing guidelines to maintain the consistency of a brand mark. GSM is not just a book, but forms a key to success in maintaining your company's brandmark consistency. Inside are various guidelines which communicate various attributes of the brandmark, including the following:

a. Brand Platform : Explanation of the brand essence, brand promise, directions of photography to be  used, and the brand mark philosophy.

b. Basic Elements :Containing various rules in the application of the brand mark, such as size dimensions, colour, xzadmissable and inadmissable background layouts, and brandmark proportions laid out for various types of application.

c. Application : Covering all media used in communicating the brandmark, such as name cards, letter heading, envelopes, uniforms. brochures, billboards, and so on. If a company wants to expand business to various other regions, cities, or even countries, this is no problem. Having the GSM guide book will help and facilitate consistent application of the brand mark,wherever and whenever.

Brand Consistency

Periodic communication of the brand will facilitate consumers remembering the brand. Brandmark consistency will result in an identity which will cling to the subconscious. Even just seeing the colour, or shape, or hearing the jingle, the brand will automatically be recognised by the consumer. An example is the brand 'Coca-Cola‘. lust seeing the shape of the bottle, or hearing the jingle. we recognize that brand, even if we are in another country. This proves that consistency in branding is needed.

VISUAL IDENTITY IN A BRAND

The implementation of a well-applied visual identity is a determining factor in reinforcing a good brand. Visual identity in a brand, or brand identity as it is also known, comprise verbal and visual elements which are then applied to various visual 'devices', such as letter heading, name cards, folders, packaging, and many others.

Even though it has a significant role, brand identity is only one representation of a brand, and not the entirity of the brand, though many people wrongly interpret the logo as the brand.As in the example, when a consumer is choosing between one brand of shoe product and another brand of shoe, there are several aspects which influence the consumer to buy a particular brand of shoe. Of course it's not just from having a captivating brand logo, or even the frequency that logo appears in public media, but consumers also think about quality, design, price and many other aspects. It is these aspects that develop a brand, and that brand is represented by a name, logo and visual devices as a brand identity.

So that the spirit and essence of a brand can meet their target in an effective, efficient and long lasting manner, the brand identity must have a spirit which fits the brand and the target users. Brand identity must also communicate a message of its own brand essence. And most importantly, a brand identity must be easy to remember. flexible, and have a differentiation between the brand and its competitors.

Within a brand identity. generally there are several components. These components have a specific function and use, each different from the others, but mutually supportive in their use as a means for consumers to get to know and understand a brand. Following is an elaboration of the various types of components of a brand identity:

1.       Brandmark

A brandmark is a graphic sign or emblem which is different from others and aims to represent a brand. A logo makes it possible for a consumer to get to know a brand immediately. It is used by commercial companies, organisations, and even individuals. Logos can be in the shape of a graphic symbol (symbol mark) or come from the name of the brand (logotype).

A brief history of the logo

Logos were first introduced by the ancient Greeks and Romans. At first, a logo was only used as a sign of ownership on a person's property and cattle at that point in time. Logos or trademarks began to develop in the Middle Ages, because in that age trades people began to develop. Even logo design began to experience development and have aesthetic value. In the 3rd Century, beautiful logos began to be used for commercial use.

2.       Colour Configuration

Colour plays an important role as one of the visual elements, because colour itself can represent various aspects. and symbolize cultural and social aspects without needing to use a specific shape as a symbol. Colour can also differentiate one brand from another, as in the example of telecommunications service providers in Indonesia who each use a different colour as a visual element which is easy to remember by consumers.

3.       Typography

The definition of typography in general is an art and technique in arranging letters, designing types of letters. and modifying the shape of existing letters to create a specific character. Typography forms a ke yelement of brand identity, because it forms a verbal representation in a visual form.

The character of a piece of typography in a brand identity develops a specific image which represents the main concept of a brand identity, that's a logo. Typography used in a brand identity has 2 types; firstly,typography which is used in a brandmark, and that which is used to support communicatin within a brand.

4.       Photography

Photography is not always used in the application of a brand identity such as name cards, letter heading. packaging, and so on. However, in creating a brand identity, photography is very important in supporting consistency in communicating a brand, especially the concept of advertising a brand. As in the example of Blackstone. a private equity fund company, which always displays photographs of a group of people with the style of executives, posing with the property they are investing in in the background.

The various explanations above form various examples of the standard components which are commonly applied to a system of brand identity in the form of print media (also often called collateral and electronic media. And the components above can be added to. according to the rapid pace of development in the current era. 

BRAND DEVELOPERS AND MARKETERS IN TODAY’S MARKET PLACE

As brand developers & marketers in today’s market place develop new brand identities and nurtureold ones, so must they develop creative implementation strategies. getting their message out using innovative methods in which to implement their brand communications across multiple mediums, usually simultaneously to gain maximum results. Some have chosen to go interactive, with great success, companies such as new generation brands like eBay, Amazon and Starbucks have amassed huge global value with little traditional advertising.

What makes the internet unique? The internet landscape is extremely unique. Its fundamental ability to facilitate multiple methods of delivering rich interactive participation holds much potential for advertisers, marketers and brand implementers.

The Internet has made its impact through implications based on its access to globalization and internationalization, where information may cross beyond borders with greater ease are yet to be fully realized by many individuals and organizations.

Though the online medium is gaining more exposure, there are basic issues that need to be faced in order to tailor for this medium successfully, marketers and brand implementers will need to be acquainted with that while there are differences in complexity in the delivery of product and promotion, there are key fundamentals that should be recognized.

Traditional mediums such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines will always continue to have an impact in the way we communicate. No matter how advanced the methods of execution develop, the same people who access information via the internet will always be the same people who want access to the same basic functionalities older, more traditional mediums deliver, for example education and news.

Another thing to be aware of is while implementing brand integration into various different mediums and using multiple content is seen as an obvious step, and is more frequent, all these mediums still run the risk of over saturation, and in the end, create the same clutter that people were avoiding in the first place, making it ineffective as a marketing tool. (One thing to be aware on brand and design implementation to its media and their derivatives with various mediums or frequent contents which is often seen and making them over-saturation, would cause the same clutter or ineffective and risking their marketing tools.

Smart companies see that the best strategy today as defining their brand as visually strong, unique in design, and that by delivering incentive for consumers participation, they integrate their messages so closely into entertainment that the two are all but indistinguishable.

Understanding the methods of online success. To achieve great opportunities and results that the internet can offer, organizations need to effectiin incorporate various methodologies that wrll emerge, allowing benefits that many departments within anorganization can appreciate as shown below.

Interactivity, the more time you spend interacting with your websites. games. blogs. etc. It provides opportunities for brand immersion, loyalty and the likely hood of actually landing a sale. All interactive programs should go hand in hand with all other advertising and marketing programs leading as alternate destination solution that may provide additional incentives for customers to participate further on an interactive level with your brand.

Customization, allows dynamic change, interaction and full customization as to what may be viewed upon the web site, generally to suit the viewer and their preferences, which then can be used to determine what interests their potential consumers for future campaigns. it allows the site to be a stage to develop mood setting, associated to the brand values and ethos that makes it unique, building closer ties to the consumer.

Global access, being able to push towards international exposure, with possible gain in developing global presence allows small businesses to access markets that were once not viable. Time dependence allows viewers to access most features and information on a 24 hour basis, everyday of the week, without having to have a physical presence managing the site.

Interest driven allows users to actively seek out desired information passively rather than being pushed via other media. However effective directing of traffic remains via offline communications, spiral marketing techniques and the likes.These are just five of the few major key points that are used in Order to understand the areas in which to

focus developments with regards to the production of a successful online campaign.

Essentially for most businesses to succeed, there is the need to sustain vigilance. to push bravely forward, to re—educate themselves of the opportunities that are abound. to be creative while exposing their brands upon multiple platforms, in which to compete and to promote their brand identities and their values

associated today.

EXPANDING A BRAND WITHOUT OVERSTEPPING BOUNDARIES

At a base level. no human being is ever fulfilled. Once you achieve merit, you are bound to try for a second time. So it is with a brand. After achieving success in one product category, a brand will generally try to repeat the same success in another product category. This is what is known as brand extension. An action, which nowadays is usually undertaken by various brands, particularly big brands which have a good name and reputation in consumer's eyes.

Sometimes brand extension is undertaken only because of weighing up commercial values. A brand makes a new product to cash in on the profit, but they do not pay attention to other aspects, which are actually much more important to weigh up than commercialism.

Often a brand will undertake a brand extension, without a clear direction. Coming back to commercial consideration, they only see that there is a product category which is promising, and they have not tried before. However, if a decision is made to undertake brand extension, does it feel appropriate? Not necessarily.

Brand extension should be undertaken with an appropriate direction. Because of this, a brand should not extend sporadically. Consistency is needed to achieve harmonious brand extension.

Imagine if a brand which was previously known by consumers as a snack—food brand suddenly undertook brand extension and created a a lip balm product. Seems strange and illogical. doesn't it? Funnily, this did really happen. Consistency of brand essence between existing products and those to be released is the main factor which must be balanced by a parent brand before extending the brand. They must know beforehand what values or essence are conceived in the brand- As in the idiom "an apple doesn't fall far from the tree", brand essence from the parent brand must still be maintained in each product released so that brand extention is undertaken in a corridor, and does not stray beyond the limits.

Let's take the brand Nike as an example. The essence conveyed by this brand is victory. We know that Nike always produces sports wear, which clearly shows that value of winning. When Nike began to enter the category of electronic products by releasing Nike+, a packet of digital watch and electronic chip which can be put on Nike shoes, was this outside their sphere of prevalence? Nike stayed faithful to their brand essence. Nike+ was designed for use monitoring their speed in sports and running. and can practice 'victory' in running.

In the lndonesian market, we know Sosro. This brand, with the slogan "ahlinya teh” (the tea experts) has a very strong essence as a brand which is very qualified in the tea industry. The product Teh Botol 50er has won the hearts of Indonesian consumers of all ages. When Sosro tried to enter the teenage consumer market, they did not put out a soft drink like Coca-Cola or Fanta, but kept a firm hold on their brand essence as the tea experts, and produced a fruit-flavoured, ready to drink tea product especially for teens, with the brand Fruitea. As a result, 50er with the brand Fruitea Succeded in enjoying the teenage consumer market,

and stayed faithful to their essence as the tea experts.

Reflecting on these two cases above, we can summarize that brand extension cannot be undertaken immediately just because of market opportunity. The main consideration is consistency of values or essence of the parent brand, which must be the same as the sub-brand in whatever product category, so that harmony is created in the brand ’family'.

THE POWER OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON A BRAND

The era of social networking is right before our eyes, have we made the best of it? if not, now is the time to act on making it a useful media, or even an internet-powered strategic business tool.

Nowadays social networking has become a part of our daily lives. Not a day goes by without accessing Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Linkedln, etc. Who doesn't have a Facebook account? Old and young, even kids; rich businessmen to streetside hawkers. The point is that every social group is in this social network. Having said this, is society aware of the power of these social networks as a tool for supporting their brands?

Social networks are now more than a media for friendship,- they are a profitable business landscape. There are many giant brand owners who use social networks to facilitate their business: Starbucks, Sour Sally, Walls (Magnum), Coca-Cola, and BlackBerry, to name just a few.

Let's examine one successful brand that inevitably profits from utilizing social networks; Starbucks. Simply a coffee product that everyone can find anywhere, Starbucks has built a world-wide business empire and become a prominent global brand. Many people are of the opinion that their coffee is not cheap. By spending a small handful of Rupiah in change, a person could enjoy a tasty cup of coffee, but it takes several Rupiah notes to afford a cup of Starbucks. How could that be? Starbucks definitely has a strong brand platform with the power to stick in the global mind. But the fact is, Starbucks is inevitably practicing the trend of social network marketing to reinforce its business empire. Just check out their website, presenting everything related to their products in an informative and interesting way. Next, Starbucks also has their own Twitter and Facebook to reach their global fans. This has made them globally popular in an easy, fast and effective way.

There are reasons why social networks can empower a brand. Firstly, the need for social networking is a basic human need. Humans are biologically configured to socialize; hence humans are social beings that can not live alone. Secondly, the rapid and easy spread of social networks has made them a main engine to build a brand. Social media is combining aspects of the virtual world; online products and services, such as blog, discussion forum, email, and website. Anything communicated through it will have a special effect because of its technology- based development, and 'interactive mode’ that delivers texts, images, pictures, and audio-visuals in a manner which is unrestricted and directly accessible.

Finally, it remains to be said that to build a powerful brand is not only about social networks. The brand should differentiate itself amidst tight competition. To differentiate is to discover the essence / soul of the brand and then apply and translate this into attractive visuals.

After that, it is communicated and channeled through social networks (as one of the tools) that will speed up and support the brand's marketing through the fast-lane. 

BAGAIMANA MEMIKAT PELANGGAN (4)

Tips untuk memikat pelanggan yang terakhir  adalah “Rawat Pertemanan untuk Jualan” (Reserve network of friends)

                Nah, apa yang terjadi di dunia penjualan kurang lebih sama. Jika kita bisa bergeser dari “lingkaran moneter” ke “lingkaran sosial”, hubungan yang terjadi akan jauh lebih bermakna. Bermakna bagi anda, dan juga bagi mereka.

                Pelanggan, yang telah menjadi teman, akan menganggap Anda sebagai rekan untuk berbagi masalah dan persoalan. Dan tentu saja, mereka pun akan siap membantu kita di saat kita membutuhkan. Tanpa diminta pun mereka akan merekomendasikan kita kepada orang terdekatnya.

                Lalu, bagaimana caranya agar hubungan Anda dan pelanggan bisa demikian erat layaknya dua orang sahabat? Perlakukan mereka dengan baik kapanpun Anda bisa. Berikan tak hanya di saat Anda butuh mereka. Tak perlu perhatian yang muluk – muluk. Sebuah SMS sapaan akan cukup.

                Ya, intinya jika anda ingin dianggap sebagai teman, perlakukanlah juga mereka sebagai teman. Maka, di saat Anda butuh bantuan dengan senang hati sahabat Anda tadi akan memberikan uluran tangan. Bukankah a friend need is a friend in deed?

Don’t walk behind me;

I may not lead.

Don’t walk in front of me;

I may not follow.

Just walk beside me and be my friend.