WHY CONSISTENCY IS THE BEATING HEART OF AN ICONIC BRAND
Some brands just get it right. Think about those iconic brands that have been intrinsically etched into your heart and mind. Brands that have their own distinct look, personality and attitude. These brands stick because their core elements are consistently reflected in every piece of communication they execute.
The rough and gruff toughness that is Harley-Davidson; the dreamy blue elegance and romanticism of Tiffany & Co.; the determination and empowerment of Nike; the kooky practicality of IKEA; the simple and sleek sophistication of Apple. These are brands that need no introduction. Brands whose unique identity deeply resonates with their consumers, resulting in a huge degree of brand loyalty (and royalty!) that would take other players decades to achieve. Brands you would recognise anywhere - even from space.
CASE IN POINT: VIRGIN GALACTIC LAUNCH
Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin empire. An example of where the personality of the brand and the CEO is one and the same. Playful, dynamic, cheeky, irreverent, bold, innovative and disruptive; Virgin strives to deliver value and exceptional, out-of-the-ordinary customer experience. The powerhouse strength of Virgin Group’s brand identity has fuelled its extreme diversification both in terms of geography and industry across its 200 companies.
Earlier this month, Sir Branson, along with two pilots and three other passengers successfully reached space on the Virgin Galactic spacecraft - a project that was 17 years in the making. As is synonymous with the Virgin brand, the test flight was an enormous PR spectacle, with live-streaming on all key social media platforms and press coverage on all major news outlets right around the world. Just a few days shy of his 71st birthday, Sir Richie B beat today’s more modern business heroes, EMusk and JBez, in the “the billionaires’ space race” of a lifetime.
Virgin Galactic Space Crew - July 2021; Source: Virgin Galactic
Putting aside any thoughts of this initiative being ill-timed with what else is going on in the world or backlash from critics that these billionaires should be investing their time, money and energy into more worthy causes (a convo for another day!); this venture into space tourism has taken the already iconic Virgin brand to stratospheric new heights - both literally and figuratively.
And, at the heart of it all, Virgin Galactic has kept consistent with the disruptive, experimental and bold ethos of its mother brand and founder.
I recently re-read Sir Branson’s book, Like a Virgin: Secrets They Won’t Teach You at Business School. In it he says that his driving force is finding new ways to help people have a good time and that his biggest challenge is ensuring the Virgin experience is consistent in every sector the brand plays in.
“AT THE HEART OF IT ALL, VIRGIN GALACTIC HAS KEPT CONSISTENT WITH THE DISRUPTIVE AND BOLD ETHOS OF ITS MOTHER BRAND.”
In my discussions with clients about branding, messaging and content - consistency is a word that I tend to repeat over and over and over and over. While iconic brands like Virgin, Harley-Davidson, Tiffany & Co., Nike, IKEA and Apple have successfully evolved their offer to remain relevant in an ever-changing world, the one thing they have in common is an iron-fisted approach when it comes to maintaining consistency of their core brand elements.
A non-negotiable level of consistency when it comes to logos, colours, fonts, taglines, tone of voice, ad copy and every piece of content shared with customers, ensures that the distinctive personality of these brands always shine through. This consistency creates familiarity and familiarity breeds trust. In the same way Sir Richie B feels like a dependable old business mentor of mine - familiarity and trust is the key to connecting with your customers and paving the way to building a recognisable brand.
