In today's crowded marketplace, creating an identity for your brand is essential to stand out among your peers and competitors.Brand assets are the molecules that make up your brand DNA. Much like how actual molecules make up our cells, these assets work together in an interconnected fashion in building your brand's identity.
Having consistent brand assets can be a recipe for your business' success, primarily when your brand engages with the right customer at the right time with the perfect message.This guide will give you a comprehensive understanding of brand assets, examples from industry leaders, and ways to leverage them.
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What Are Brand Assets?
Brand assets are the core elements of your brand's identity. It's what your company uses to represent itself.
A strong brand has a clear identity and personality, so having all your assets in one place is necessary.
Brand assets should be used consistently throughout all marketing materials so people can easily recognize them.
Doing this will help build trust with customers and clients because they know what to expect when they see anything branded with your logo or other unique identifiers. To learn more about brand guidelines also check out our guide on how to create a brand book.
These are what entails brand assets:
Brand Name
A brand name is the most crucial brand asset. It is the name that people use when they refer to your company, product, or service.
You can include your brand name throughout your marketing materials, including print advertising, social media posts, website pages, emails, and more.
You may even want to consider trademarking your brand name as it can help protect against copyright infringement by others who might use it without your permission or authorization.
A good brand name can last for many years with little change. For instance, the Coca-Cola Company has been using its brand name since 1886.
You can use tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner or Keyword Tool to find popular keywords associated with your services and use those words in your new business name.
Logo
Logos are visual representations of your brand. Brands use logos on business cards, signage, packaging, and more.
The logo itself may not always be visible, but it's still part of your brand identity because it represents what your company stands for and what consumers should expect.
Tagline/Slogan
A tagline is a snappy catchphrase that summarizes what your company does.
Brands often use it in advertisements, social media platforms, and other marketing materials.
Taglines or slogans help customers understand what distinguishes you from your competition and why they should choose your product over another.
Product Features
Product features are physical attributes of your product or service that set it apart from similar products in the market.
These include the size, color, shape, materials, and other product characteristics. The purpose of product features is to help consumers make buying decisions.
Color Scheme
Colors often have emotional meanings — like how red is associated with passion while blue symbolizes trustworthiness.
Using color psychology in marketing can help increase conversions and conversion rates.
The easiest way to do this is by creating a color scheme that matches what you're trying to convey through visuals like photos and illustrations.
Brand Promise
The brand promise is what consumers expect from your product or service based on their experience with previous ones from your company or other companies in your industry segment.
It's perceived value because customers don't always know what they want until they've tried it out.
It should be short, memorable, and consistent with your overall brand strategy.
Customer Service
Customer service refers to how well you treat your customers when interacting with your business.
It includes everything from how employees answer questions to the quality of customer service training manuals and policies.
Customer service is also crucial in ensuring that your customers have a positive experience with your brand.
An experience that drives buy-in from employees and customers alike will help you build a lasting relationship between them — one that transcends any single purchase or interaction. In short: It builds loyalty.
Top 5 Brand Assets Examples To Inspire Your Business
Brand assets are any material thing that represents your brand. Brand assets include everything from the clothes you wear to the logos on your website to the products you sell.
The best brands in the world have a unique brand asset. Whether it's a logo, slogan, or character, these brands have a way of connecting with people on an emotional level. Here are some examples:
1. Netflix
As of 2022, the brand value of Netflix is roughly $29 billion.
Netflix has a straightforward and memorable brand asset: the red envelope.
The Netflix logo is a simple, bold wordmark that uses the same font found on their website and in their app.
The red envelope stands out against this plain backdrop as a way to get users' attention and make them want to click it.
2. Apple
Apple's simple yet elegant logo is one of its most valuable brand assets. It's simple yet striking, remarkable, and resonates with the brand.
In 2021, Apple topped the world's most valuable brands list, roughly $260 billion.
3. Amazon
Amazon has many unique assets that make up its brand identity. Each of these assets serves a different purpose, from the Amazon smiley face to the multicolored arrow to the simple wordmark. Yet, they all work together to create one cohesive brand identity.
The Amazon smiley face has been around for a long time, but it remains relevant today because it's fun and inviting.
You can also see the multicolored arrow used on every product page, which helps guide customers through the shopping experience.
4. Mailchimp
As of 2022, Mailchimp has more than 13 million users worldwide.
MailChimp's brand assets are all about color and simplicity. They're bright, they're bold, and they're easy to use. The colors used in their brand assets are bright blue, orange, and yellow. The brand's mascot is also a remarkable asset.
Their branding is simple yet effective. Mailchimp has a distinct color palette, typography, and graphics throughout its website and marketing materials.
5. HubSpot
HubSpot has more than 135,000 customers worldwide, including Yamaha, GE Lighting, Calm, and Hamilton Beach.
HubSpot has substantial brand assets because they use the same colors and fonts on their website.
Even if you've never heard of HubSpot, you probably recognize them with their orange logo and color palette.
How To Identify Your Brand Assets
Brand assets differ for every company, so you want to choose the those that best represent your company.
Companies must find ways to differentiate themselves from competitors to build a brand. Brand assets are how companies do this and are therefore crucial to growing a successful brand.
1. Review your company’s strengths
To identify your brand assets, think about the following:
- What do you do better than other companies?
- What sets you apart from your competitors?
- What are the core values of your company?
- What are the products/services that your company offers that are unique?
2. Conduct research
Start by researching to learn more about different brands and what they use as brand assets. By reading articles and books on branding, you can become more familiar with the other brands and assets.
One method is to conduct brand equity research.
Brand equity research helps determine how to best leverage your brand assets. It also assists with how to maintain/increase brand equity and how to maintain brand equity through the life cycle of your brand.
3. Talk to experts
A branding agency can help you determine the strengths/weaknesses of your brand, so you can better manage your brand assets.
4. Brainstorm
Once you better understand the different brand assets, you can brainstorm ideas for your company. Start with the most critical assets, and work from there.
Managing Brand Assets: Best Practices
You've worked hard to create a brand that's unique and eye-catching. Now you need to keep it that way— and the best way to do that is by managing your company's brand assets.
Here are some best practices to follow:
- Keep your brand assets consistent
- Create brand guidelines
- Monitor your assets regularly
- Have everyone involved in the process
- Have everyone understand what they're doing
- Use asset tracking software
- Make sure that all of your assets are high quality
1. Keep your brand assets consistent
Ensure that all your images, logos, and videos are consistent with your brand identity. If they're not, it can confuse customers or make them question whether they're dealing with the right business.
2. Create brand guidelines
Brand guidelines consist of rules and standards that ensure consistency within a brand. For instance, it shows how to use a logo or what colors are associated. Brand guidelines can also include photography, video, and other visual elements.
3. Monitor your assets regularly
Use up-to-date versions of your logos and other images so that they don't get out of date or look outdated in marketing campaigns.
4. Have everyone involved in the process
You don't want just one person managing everything—you need people who are familiar with each piece of content so they can make sure it's always up-to-date and accurate.
5. Have everyone understand what they're doing
Ensure all employees know what constitutes a good logo or branding style for use in their department's projects.
Doing so helps them avoid accidentally creating something that looks too similar to another department's graphic design types without realizing it until after submitting their work for review.
6. Use asset tracking software
Use tools such as Google Analytics on your website, blogs, social media accounts, and other online platforms.
These tools allow you to track how often each asset is being downloaded, viewed, or liked, which ones need more attention than others, and what type of content performs best with your audience.
7. Make sure that all of your assets are high quality
Ensure all assets have excellent quality, both visually and technically speaking. Any issues with an asset—an image or video clip—need to be fixed immediately, not negatively impacting the user experience.
Brand Assets: Takeaways
Brand assets are a powerful tool for building your brand and gaining market share.
It's not just about creating a logo or color scheme that looks good; it's also about creating an identity that resonates with consumers.
Brand assets help you define who you are, what makes you unique, and how people should perceive your company or product and relate to it.
The most effective way to use brand assets is by understanding what they mean and leveraging the ones that offer the most significant potential for success.
Professional branding companies can also help you with this process, so we advise looking for the right agency to partner with for your project.
