The Power of Successful Branding

15-فبراير-2023

By Ali Hasan Duaij, Head of Corporate Communications at BisB

Successful branding is timeless. A cohesive, well-constructed brand, that captures the very essence of a company, is immortalized in the eyes of its audience. Many successful brands we know today, like Starbucks, LEGO, and Coca-Cola, are founded on the basis of a strong, corporate identity echoing the company’s core values with honesty and integrity. Others however, prioritize marketing and sales, with very little desire to promote their company ethos or values even if they are founded on a strong brand DNA.

What is deemed “good branding”, and how can organizations create a lasting, positive impression?

As we dive into a new era of creativity and innovation, companies are measured by their human-centric approach. A well-established corporate identity, built on strong values, can positively sway public perceptions, leading to a solid industry positioning. Longstanding companies have embraced this method by embarking on a holistic rebranding journey supported by a team of creative industry leaders.

Taking an inward look into what truly defines your company creates an opportunity to transform into an elevated, modern brand. Banking on its 40-year anniversary, Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) first began its journey of self-discovery and rebranding back in 2019. By taking a 360-degree view of its business, BisB reinvented its core DNA to focus more on becoming a customer-centric organization. The Bank sought to modernize old-school banking methods with a more simplified banking experience, a strategy that emulated in BisB’s brand identity.

Every journey begins with a starting point; the story behind your brand, your business, and your people. With the help of employees that recognized the Bank’s history and its ethos, BisB molded its new brand promise “Fueled by Bahraini devotion, we craft new ways of simplifying your money matters” and its four guiding pillars “Bahrain-ness, Banking re-imagined, Startup mindset and Social innovation”. The DNA was reflected through a refreshed logo, a bold color scheme, minimalistic designs and a futuristic vision.

Effective communication is key to good branding. It establishes a foundation of trust and loyalty, and acts as a bridge that connects corporations to their customers. This is the desired result of a brand DNA strategy. Beyond that, with a solid corporate and brand identity, employees are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and pride to be a part of a well-rounded organization. When BisB embarked on its rebranding journey, it aligned all its touch points to echo the Bank’s story. It tweaked key visual elements like brand colors and marketing designs to create an impactful message reflective of what the organization wanted to be recognized for. It also focused on technical aspects such as color psychology to make their new brand story more cohesive. These elements served to encapsulate the Bank’s culture since its establishment, working to enhance its transformation journey and capture its brand DNA.

However, a company’s branding journey is never linear. Although the end goal is to project a message to the public, a company’s brand is continuously evolving. A part of that journey is through unifying the brand, whereby companies adopt a strategic mechanism to instill its corporate identity and ensure brand efficiency. Brand unification is all about transparency and streamlining your brand operations to ensure the use of the updated logo or font internally. These decisions are essential in upscaling your brand and making sure you hit all the right notes. Companies like BisB, who are still on that journey, have to constantly ensure that their brand is a solid reflection of its internal culture, as well as form an integral part of a grander community vision.

As we look into the future of branding, the possibilities are endless. Consistently taking personalization, collaboration and community into account is how global brands have managed to stay memorable. Beyond a revamped logo, they continue to reach their target audience by exposing the very heart and essence of their business.