Why Brand Consistency Is Important

Everyone has not-so-fun aspects of their job, even if they love it overall. For me, playing the part of “brand police” is up there with entering my time as one of those things that are the least fun parts of my job.

Who are the “brand police?” They are usually folks from the marketing department who visit your desk, pointer finger wagging, reminding you to use the proper brand colors for your company or to use the most up-to-date version of your corporate logo, and not the one you saved to your desktop three years ago. Playing brand police is a necessary evil.

I always feel like a nag when I play that role. Brand consistency is just one of those things that is not high on people’s priority list, especially if they need to get a flier out. Right. Now. It’s not fun to rain on someone’s parade and explain to them that using five different fonts and lots of exclamation marks in the same collateral piece is not a good idea.

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s hard to find time to explain why. Why staffers should stick to the company’s color palette. Why you shouldn’t stretch out a logo to make it bigger. Why your company’s words should match its deeds. Why using so many exclamation marks is not a good idea!!!

So, here is a semi-official edict from the Brand Police, on why brand consistency is important.

Establishes Trust and Authenticity

When a company delivers a brand experience consistently, the public learns what to expect from that company. Over time, this builds trust. If a company is flinging from one tactic to the next, with no clear unifying purpose, that company takes the risk of looking unfocused and unprofessional.

Sticking to a cohesive brand says something about who you are, that your brand is your corporate identity and not something that you created just for marketing purposes or because its trendy.

Builds Brand Equity

Over time, customers will get to know your company through your brand. Your brand will become synonymous with certain values and expectations. This brand equity will come in handy when you launch a new product or venture, or in some unlucky cases, when your company goes through a rough patch. Your brand is your reputation and at some point, you will need to trade on your reputation. Make sure you’ve built it up over time.

Provides Measurement Opportunities

This is true for any business initiative but especially for branding. How do you know if your efforts are working or not unless you implement your branding consistently over time? You can’t measure something that isn’t thoroughly implemented or implemented for a short period of time.

Brand consistency is important. It helps to establish trust with your customers. It builds equity, which will come in handy one day when you need it. And it gives you the opportunity to measure its effectiveness.

I think that’s worth sticking with the right brand colors and a few less exclamation marks, don’t you?