26 Apr Is consistency key to building a business?
|| Building a concept that allows us to change our opinion ||
Having worked in Marketing for over 10 years, I am quite aware of the theory around the most important boxes a company has to tick to create a strong brand image. Consistency across all communication and creative formats is one of the most crucial pillars in brand building. Colours, tone of voice, fonts, angles, taglines – marketeers are constantly reminded that this is the way to create ‘stickiness’ in the consumer’s mind and allow them to eventually recognise a brand without having to even see the logo.
At first glance, the concept of Globalistina did not seem particularly consistent to me. It was meant to be a reflection of who we are as women. And I think most of you will agree that we are not consistently soft or bold or colourful or straightforward, blurry or light. There are days where we are one, the other, or all at the same time. Emotions, hormones and circumstances can change the way we communicate, think and behave a lot. So how were we going to create this so-called brand consistency, which kind of just felt like it constrained us in our ways to express?
MARKETEERS ARE CONSTANTLY REMINDED THAT THIS IS THE WAY TO CREATE 'STICKINESS' IN THE CONSUMER'S MIND..
Right now, as I am writing this piece, we have not yet launched the website or our products. We have, however, been working on the creation of this brand and company for almost three years. When I invented the idea of Globalistina, I was based in Bali where I was on a very ‘Bali style’ mind and spirit exploring journey. I was also wildly single at 32, dancing until the early hours of the morning, mixing a lot of yoga practice with a lot of alcohol consumption, working on convincing myself that I was as free as ever. Everything was amplified – good, bad, crazy, mindful, dark and light.
And that exact state of mind was reflected in the identity of the early Globalistina. The first direction of our clothing collection was very colourful, bold. My articles – just like my thoughts – would have a provocative tendency at times. My ideas for brand assets and other visual realisations were flamboyant and unconventional (I remember I wanted to have our first editorial shoot in a set-up where we would start off sober but then get the models, helpers and photographer drunk as we go on to capture the gradual ‘fall of grace and control’).
WE HAVE ALREADY ADAPTED GLOBALISTINA'S IDENTITY TWICE.
Three years later – and let me remind you that Globalistina has still not seen the light of the public eye – we have already adapted its identity twice. As Maria, Sarah and I settled in our respective environments, continued our journeys to mental and physical wellbeing, started relationships with great partners, explored new hobbies and developed new passions, we amended our first collection, changed the font of our logo and reworked the direction we want to pursue on visual content. Overall, the tones are hued, the lines are somewhat simplified and loose now. Our target audience is probably a little more mature. Still strong characters that are not afraid to express themselves verbally and visually, but perhaps just a little more settled.
What I realise, though, is that we still pursue the same goal: to create a brand that represents us as women in the society we live in – our thoughts, beliefs, ideas, fears and desires.
OUR CONSISTENCY IS THAT WE COMMIT TO THE APPRECIATION OF THE CONSTANT(!) EVOLUTION OF US BEINGS.
And so here is what I conclude: I would love to create a brand name that is instantly identified through our consistent colouring, taglines, themes and tone of voice and all that. And I will always keep that in mind.
However, it doesn’t mean that Sarah, Mari and I will remain stagnant in our understanding of the world and society. We are allowed to change our ideas, priorities and opinions as we grow older and hopefully wiser; and so should our brainchild Globalistina.
Our consistency is that we commit to the appreciation of the constant(!) evolution of us as beings – even if it means we will speak different words to a different pool of people in the near future. And with that I hope that Globalistina will become instantly recognisable.