Startup branding and lessons from a Hollywood legend

Is there a right time to brand a start-up? Really when does one begin branding a start up? Today, tomorrow? There is an exact answer to the question. And it is the second day. The day after you decide to build your idea into a business – Day 2 of your journey as a start-up. If you are wondering why the hurry, it’s for two important reasons – one, it adds method to the madness called building a start-up and two, it makes your marketing initiatives efficient and economical from the very beginning. So here it goes.

Branding is an essential step forward to bringing in a framework of thinking to the present and the future. At a fundamental level it is a ‘frame’, a sort of die that you cast into which you pour in the molten liquid of thoughts, vision, plans. More importantly, it is also the pouring of the perception you would want to create amongst the various audiences who will be touched by your startup idea.

Where does one begin then?

1. First get the name in place.

2. Then say the name aloud.

What kind of ring does it have to itself? Crisp, soft, definite, delicate or kind of business like. Airbnb sounds rounded and informal. While Uber, possibly has an abruptness, which is definite. This possibly is the baby move towards getting the tonality of the brand into place. Of course I would hasten to add that a name is just one aspect that can determine tonality or tone of voice. What I am saying here is simple – the sound of the brand is an echo of the meaning-making and meaning-conveying aspects of the brand.

3. To this name and sound add a strap line.

One that ought to capture the proposition, benefit, outcome and any such description that conveys to the user the meaning and more importantly the expectations the idea is meant to fulfill.

Some examples – Uber is “Everyone’s private driver” and Airbnb is “Belong anywhere.”

When it comes to creativity about the strap line, you would gain by borrowing some premises from the famous Blake Snyder who wrote the book “Save the Cat” – possibly the best take on screenwriting. His concept is of the one line or log line as he calls it. The log line is that one line, which can describe the complete film – story plot and more. He goes on to saying that a good log line should have more than just a description. “ The point is that a good logline, in addition to pulling you in, has to offer the promise of more.”

Some examples he cites,

A cop comes to L.A. to visit his estranged wife and her office building is taken over by terrorists – Die Hard

A businessman falls in love with a hooker he hires to be his date for the weekend – Pretty Woman

Now what these convey are a combination of plot and expectation.

My take – borrow this principle of writing the strap line from Blake Snyder. You will end up giving the brand a meaning. One that intrinsically has the ability to describe the idea, excite the audiences and create the right expectations from the start up idea, solution.

4. The next one is to look around you.

Examine competition and the environment. Study the color trends. To this study marry your likes and dislikes. The outcome would be a brand palette.

5. Articulating the brand proposition or the purpose of your idea.

What is transformative about the idea or solution? What are the needs that your idea fulfills that have never been done earlier? The brand proposition, it’s articulation and listing our the attributes that make it unique singularly lay down the path for all future campaigns.

6. Get an agency

Once you have these basic inputs in place, call in a smart advertising agency or a branding agency which will then go about taking this forward. Give them the freedom to recast and reword. Allow them leeway to do their own analysis of the environment and come back with insights on colors, tonality and other identity aspects related to the brand.

7. Pay attention to the Brand identity.

Brand identity is a large subject. The swathe includes the graphic representation, which I have touched upon in a précis manner and the meaning definition of the idea. What it can do, what gap does it fill, how does it do the fulfillment differently for the user or the audience.

8. Codify everything

Creativity and disruption are great – but being identified for something that’s uniquely yours is far more important for your success. Think the Nike Swoosh, the Vodafone dog or the blackberry boys jingle – these are not just fantastic creative ideas – these are the expressions that help you instantly identify and connect to the brand. Build your codes and religiously use them in all your communication.

When both the graphic and the meaning aspects are harmonized, you will have the beginning of a ‘brand’.

Get this thought process going. And hit the ground running. Remember, the best day to start branding is the day after you have the idea in mind. Don’t wait for that Monday after your Series A – it’s almost always too late.

Author : Raj Mohan Tella. August 23, 2021