Many leading marketers say that brand integrity is a marathon, not a sprint – and they’re right – but there are many things you can do to get going in the right direction. We’ve narrowed it down to 5 top ways to boost brand integrity, which you can use to build a reputable brand that people rely on.
Consistency is hugely important when it comes to brand integrity. If a consumer is getting one message when they head to your website, and another one entirely when they check out your social channels, it’s easy for their perception of your brand to slip. This might sound trivial, but that cohesion across channels is what shows that there’s alignment on core values across the brand. Knowing that people will get a consistent experience with you makes you more reliable and trustworthy, and contributes to overall integrity.
Take Apple, for example – they’ve built a cohesive, interconnected, business ecosystem, that operates around real consumers. Their message is clear. Their brand is strong. They’re a brand with integrity, and their consistent messaging means they’re always adding value for users, as well as driving growth.
And it’s not just about being consistent for consistency’s sake. Inconsistent messaging can be damaging to brand integrity, particularly when the messaging isn’t aligned with the brand’s purpose and the beliefs and behaviours of their customers. CVS are an excellent example of this – after realising that selling tobacco was not aligned with their purpose of improving people’s health, they stopped selling it. This, alongside their rebranding to CVS Health, has removed the inconsistency that would’ve slowly eaten away at their brand integrity.
So how do you make sure you’re consistent? The best way is to make sure everyone across the brand is aligned on your core values. What’s your key messaging? Who is your brand helping? Aligning on all pieces of the brand puzzle might sound tedious, but it’s essential for building a brand that provides consumers with consistent, valuable experiences.
What’s your brand’s reason for being? A brand purpose is something that consumers and employees alike can rally behind. Many people now expect brands to serve a social purpose, and actively choose to buy from brands that they align with on key social issues, even if it means spending more money. Serving a purpose is so central to growing a meaningful brand that it’s become almost synonymous with integrity. When your brand consistently affects positive social change, people notice – and in turn, they think your brand is more likely to care about consumers, care about what they’re selling, and be trustworthy.
Plenty of purpose-driven brands are killing it these days. Some brands are born with purpose at their core, and other big brands are taking a more purposeful approach as the times change. With brands upping the ante on purpose-driven marketing, it’s important to stay on top of what connects your brand to the world around you. Check out this practical advice for building purposeful brands to learn how brands boost their integrity by incorporating purpose at their core.
Many leading marketers say that brand integrity is a marathon, not a sprint – and they’re right – but there are many things you can do to get going in the right direction. We’ve narrowed it down to 5 top ways to boost brand integrity, which you can use to build a reputable brand that people rely on.
Consistency is hugely important when it comes to brand integrity. If a consumer is getting one message when they head to your website, and another one entirely when they check out your social channels, it’s easy for their perception of your brand to slip. This might sound trivial, but that cohesion across channels is what shows that there’s alignment on core values across the brand. Knowing that people will get a consistent experience with you makes you more reliable and trustworthy, and contributes to overall integrity.
Take Apple, for example – they’ve built a cohesive, interconnected, business ecosystem, that operates around real consumers. Their message is clear. Their brand is strong. They’re a brand with integrity, and their consistent messaging means they’re always adding value for users, as well as driving growth.
And it’s not just about being consistent for consistency’s sake. Inconsistent messaging can be damaging to brand integrity, particularly when the messaging isn’t aligned with the brand’s purpose and the beliefs and behaviours of their customers. CVS are an excellent example of this – after realising that selling tobacco was not aligned with their purpose of improving people’s health, they stopped selling it. This, alongside their rebranding to CVS Health, has removed the inconsistency that would’ve slowly eaten away at their brand integrity.
So how do you make sure you’re consistent? The best way is to make sure everyone across the brand is aligned on your core values. What’s your key messaging? Who is your brand helping? Aligning on all pieces of the brand puzzle might sound tedious, but it’s essential for building a brand that provides consumers with consistent, valuable experiences.
What’s your brand’s reason for being? A brand purpose is something that consumers and employees alike can rally behind. Many people now expect brands to serve a social purpose, and actively choose to buy from brands that they align with on key social issues, even if it means spending more money. Serving a purpose is so central to growing a meaningful brand that it’s become almost synonymous with integrity. When your brand consistently affects positive social change, people notice – and in turn, they think your brand is more likely to care about consumers, care about what they’re selling, and be trustworthy.
Plenty of purpose-driven brands are killing it these days. Some brands are born with purpose at their core, and other big brands are taking a more purposeful approach as the times change. With brands upping the ante on purpose-driven marketing, it’s important to stay on top of what connects your brand to the world around you. Check out this practical advice for building purposeful brands to learn how brands boost their integrity by incorporating purpose at their core.
