Month: June 2023
The Brand Handbook
Understanding your
Brand Values
Passion, hard work, whether or not you like pineapple on pizza. Brand values are a set of uncompromising principles you will uphold as your business grows. They are a set of ideas that are truly important to you and remain a constant guide going forward.
Think of concepts you could stand by, that you actually believe in. If words like integrity, quality or diversity appeal to you, ask yourself why and make sure your brand can uphold that value.
Brand values are how a company sees itself, even when nobody else is watching.
Month: June 2023
Passion, hard work, whether or not you like pineapple on pizza. Brand values are the uncompromising ideas that truly matter to you. These values serve as the guiding principles that shape your company’s identity and decisions as it grows.
Embracing Values That Resonate:
When crafting your brand values, it’s crucial to consider concepts that genuinely resonate with you. If words like integrity, quality or diversity appeal to you, ask yourself why and make sure your brand can uphold those values. These values should align with your personal beliefs and become the foundation upon which your brand stands.
The Pizza Principle:
Just as pizza toppings reflect personal taste, brand values reflect the essence of your business. Choosing the right words for your brand is like selecting ingredients that you can actually sink your teeth into. Sure, Hawaiian is a classic choice, but if the thought of sweetness on a savoury pizza makes you queasy, then skip it! Don’t order anything you can’t commit to devouring, and don’t pick values you can’t uphold.
There’s no one-size-fits-all recipe here, just what feels right for you. Whether you’re a pineapple aficionado or a staunch traditionalist, it’s about finding the right combination that resonates with your taste buds.
Guiding Your Business, Even in the Shadows:
Brand values play a vital role in shaping how your company sees itself, even when nobody else is watching. They serve as a constant reminder of the principles you hold dear and guide your decision-making process. Upholding your values consistently strengthens your brand’s integrity and fosters trust with your audience.
To continue the metaphor, if you say you have vegetarian options then you better be able to break out the vege-rama pizza, rather than telling someone that they can just eat the garlic bread. Your audience trusts you to uphold these ideals, internally and externally.
Brand values should reflect the core principles that matter to you and will shape your decision-making as you grow. Your brand values are like the perfect pizza toppings, a delicious blend of ideas that are uniquely personal to you. Let them define your business’s identity and serve as a constant reminder of what truly matters. Uphold your brand values proudly and watch as they shape the success and integrity of your brand.
Looking to infuse your company with meaningful values that resonate with your audience?
Email us at hello@theincubator.com.au to find out more about how The Incubator can help you define and integrate your company’s values for maximum impact.
Let’s embark on this journey together and create a brand that leaves a lasting impact.
The Brand Building Handbook
Let's Grow From Bland To Brand!
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The Brand Handbook
Understanding your
Brand Mantra
Your brand mantra is a short statement that expresses the core of what your brand represents and the image it seeks to put out into the world. It goes beyond a simple tagline or catchphrase; it’s a call to arms that ignites emotions and evokes a sense of purpose.
Can you sum up all those feelings, vibes, and dreams in a mere few words? That’s not a rhetorical question, to make your statement you have to distil your brand into a concise message that sets you apart from the competition.
Don’t settle for words that sound good, get honest and do your research. Think about your function, audience, and desired emotional impact, then narrow it down to a laser-focused message. There’s your brand essence, your mantra, your magical incantation that leaves everyone spellbound.
Month: June 2023
Your brand mantra is a crucial aspect of establishing a strong identity. This statement expresses the core of what your brand represents and the image you want to put out into the world. It’s a call to arms that inspires others to connect with your brand. Let’s crack open the grimoire and explore the process of crafting a spellbinding message that leaves everyone captivated.
Understanding a Brand Mantra
At its heart, your brand mantra is a powerful expression that conveys the soul of a brand. It is a callout that sets the tone for your brand and defines its unique character. The aim is to create a powerful and memorable message that resonates with consumers.
Nike, for example, uses three words as their brand mantra:
“Authentic Athletic Performance”
This mantra emphasises the authenticity of the brand and creates emotional associations, you can practically see the fit people running on treadmills when you hear those words.
Sum up all the feelings, vibes, and dreams your brand wants to evoke in others, then smash them together into a concise statement.
How Do I Do That?
Crafting a compelling brand mantra requires honesty, research, and introspection. It’s about going beyond surface-level buzzwords and getting to the heart of what your brand truly stands for. Here are some steps to help you create a mesmerising brand mantra:
- Dig deep: Reflect on the purpose and values that drive your brand. What is it that sets you apart from the competition? What are the core beliefs and principles that guide your business?
- Know your audience: Understand your target audience. How does your brand align with their values? What message will resonate with them on a deep and meaningful level?
- Craft your story: Use the power of storytelling to create a narrative that engages and inspires. Tell the story of your brand’s journey, its mission, and the impact it aims to make in the world.
- Stay true to yourself: Ensure that your brand mantra aligns with the core essence of your brand. It should be an authentic representation of who you are and what you believe in. Don’t chase trends or try to be something you’re not. Embrace your unique identity and let it shine through in your brand mantra.
The Impact of a Powerful Brand Mantra
A well-crafted brand mantra is integral to brand recognition. It has the power to ignite emotions, inspire action, and forge a connection between the consumer and brand. If a customer was asked to sum up your brand, you hold the power to shape their answers by providing a simple and compelling brand story.
Ready to discover the essence of your brand and create a captivating brand mantra that evokes emotions and inspires others?
Email us at hello@theincubator.com.au to find out more about how The Incubator can help you uncover the true essence of your brand and craft a powerful brand message that sets you apart.
Let’s embark on this journey together and create a brand that leaves a lasting impact.
The Brand Building Handbook
Let's Grow From Bland To Brand!
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June 28, 2023
INCYMI: JUNE
// INCYMI
June 2023
You gotta fight for your right to party this month, as so many pride campaigns these days seem to be swiftly followed by “…and then there was severe backlash.” Fluff up your feather boas and grab your glitter, as we explore the handful of campaigns that have successfully managed to slip through the rainbow coloured cracks of the advertising universe.
- Bud Light
- The North Face
- Binge
- Verizon
- Penguin Random House
- Match.com
- Sesame Street
- Uber
- BBC
- Suntory
- Fentimans
We usually relish any opportunity to break out our soapbox and poke fun at brands for flimsy attempts at rainbow-washing, but this year we feel more compelled to give them snaps, not snipes. In a time when anti-queer hate speech is veering dangerously back towards the mainstream, far-right nasties are now savaging brands for the smallest attempts to represent equality; even destroying their products in stores. After Bud Light collaborated with trans model Dylan Mulvaney in a sponsored Instagram post, the ensuing backlash from this newly emboldened anti-trans crowd was swift and brutal. The brand has since ridden a rollercoaster of contradictory knee-jerk reactions, from firing the ad agency behind the campaign, to donating thousands to a queer charity.
The North Face, a brand traumatised Melbournians still associate with pandemic press conferences, has launched its “Summer of Pride” campaign fronted by a drag queen. Hot on the six-inch heels of the Bud Light fiasco, they seem to be taking the high road and just ignoring the hateful reactions.
Binge is in trouble for somehow managing to remove every reference to gayness in their new show… about a drag queen. Trixie Motel follows drag star Trixie Mattel and partner David Silver as they renovate a run-down Palm Springs motor-in. Foxtel’s streaming service accidentally uploaded a censored version, made for more conservative markets, which edits out any reference to their same-sex relationship. If you’re part of the deeply niche target audience who like drag queens but are homophobic, firstly, what is your life like? But secondly, you’re out of luck, Binge has now uploaded the correct version.
Verizon is doing pride month advertising right, with their campaign ‘No Straight Answers’, a camp throwback to 70’s gameshows. This video pits influencers The Old Gays against a team of younger queer creators, in a series of playful games about queer history and activism. The campaign is not only in partnership with a queer non-profit, it’s genuinely funny.
As those who remember the brutal scuffles to secure the last fluffy pencil at Scholastic book fairs can attest, never tick off a book nerd. Penguin Random House has joined the fight against censorship and filed a lawsuit challenging Florida’s recent book bans. This comes as a bunch of mouth-breathing dinosaurs have been banning books that support any viewpoint outside of outright bigotry, which might be a violation of the whole free speech thing.
Match is telling young whippersnappers to get off their lawn and bring emotional maturity to the dating world with their newest campaign: Adults Wanted. Featuring billboards designed like vintage help-wanted signs, the campaign exalts the benefits of getting into an adult relationship like connection, maturity, and early nights. This one goes out to all the lonely hearts looking for someone to share their boardgames with and help do laundry.
Our fuzzy pals at Sesame Street are reminding everyone why they’re still the best in the early childhood genre, with a PSA supporting kids’ mental health. Elmo and friends perform a song reminding kids their grownups are there to help if they’re ever not feeling A-OK. Can you tell us what rent is like on Sesame Street? We’ve got a couple of adults who’d like to live there too.
Uber has released the 2023 edition of its ‘Lost and Found Index’, ranking the weirdest items left in their taxis. This year Australians have left behind rabbit medication, a wedding dress, some adult toys, and a girl’s number on a piece of paper “who might be the love of my life,” which is a rom-com just begging to be written.
Viewers of a new game show on the BBC were left stunned after one of the contestant’s heads exploded. Anthology show Inside No.9 decided to prank their viewers by thinking the time slot had been taken over by a new quiz show, only revealing it was actually a science-fiction program after one character unexpectedly murdered another.
Director Sofia Coppola gets Lost in Translation again to celebrate Suntory’s 100th anniversary in a short film starring Keanu Reeves. Set to a rockin’ Joan Jett soundtrack, the ad highlights all its coolest ad campaigns over the years, even throwing back to a floppy-haired 90’s Keanu and a reference to Coppola’s Japanese film setting.
Soft-drink brand Fentimans has created the ‘World’s Longest Advert’, with an exhausting runtime of 168 hours. Like the beverage version of Waiting for Godot, the ad follows one man watching over a fermenting batch of Fentimans for its full brew-time of seven days.
Extra, extra!
Read all about it!Check out our latest INC news and views.
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INCYMI: DECEMBER
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