Branding is a criterion that guarantees a product or service is distinguishable from other products on the market. It is via branding that a product or service distinguishes itself and achieves a market edge over substitute products. Many consumers in the branding process conflate brand identity with brand image, despite the fact both are distinct.
Branding is a difficult topic. Everyone uses the term “brand,” but few can define it precisely. We’ve had clients who mix up branding and a website. While websites and digital presence are important, they are only one component of your total brand.
A deliberate and purposeful branding strategy enables you to shape your brand with intention and control. A rigorous approach is your best chance for handling all of the details that go into developing a brand.
Difference between brand identity and brand image
The distinction between brand identity and brand image is that brand identity refers to how a firm attempts to persuade its target audience. While brand image refers to how a brand is seen by the audience. Brand identity relies on how they present themselves, and brand image relies on customers’ experience with the company.
Furthermore, the brand owner is crucial to the brand’s identity. This is how that specific owner represents the brand to customers. However, the consumer is vital to the brand’s image. How they perceive the brand, particularly after using it or having an experience with it in some way.
The brand identity may consist of the corporate emblem, tagline, or slogan, as well as the distinct tone used. The brand image, on the other hand, consists of the customers’ perceptions of the brand.
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Brand identity
Brand identity is simply how the company wants the target audience to view the brand. It is the personality of your company and also your assurance to your customers that you will provide them with high-quality products. It is essentially a goal to create an impactful and strong link between the brand and its audiences. Aside from its utilitarian benefits, this is an additional value that a brand acquires.
Branding and marketing strategies and approaches could greatly assist a company in communicating its identity to the public. It includes things like brand vision, direction, personality, partnerships, and so on. To its target audience, the organization could construct a portrayal of the brand, and this depiction is the true brand identity.
The tangible characteristics of a brand comprise brand identity. These include design, color, and a symbol that will assist customers in identifying and distinguishing your brand. These aid in conveying the values that the company wishes to portray in the market and communicate to customers.
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Brand image
The brand image centers on how clients view the company in terms of its brand’s presence and prospect. It includes the customers’ views, impressions, and opinions about the company.
In a nutshell, it describes how customers perceive a brand and the emotion it evokes when a consumer hears its name. It is all about anything and everything that favorably affects the customer’s perception of the brand. Customers engage with brand experiences and long-term interactions with the items that a specific brand provides.
Customers’ perceptions of the brand might differ from one another. But, regardless of the variation, the brand’s image is impacted in some way. The customer might want a brand yet be unable to defend it when a competitor enters the market.
Though it’s more vital to team culture, a consumer’s view of the image represents who the brand is and what it stands for. It evolves through time as part of consumer engagement and marketing, in which customers would have a negative or good brand image.
Key differences between brand image and brand identity
The main differences between brand identity and brand image are as follows;
- Brand identity is the collection of all aspects that a company utilizes to establish the correct image in the minds of customers. Whereas brand image is the perception of a brand in the minds of consumers.
- The brand identity reflects a company’s reality, such as its purpose, goal, fundamental values, and objectives. Whereas brand image reflects the consumer’s view of the brand.
- Brand identity is all about reflecting back with the intent of enhancing it. Brand image, on the other hand, is responsible for improving the consumer’s interactions with the brand.
- While developing a brand identity necessitates the company’s active participation. Brand image is a passive phenomenon that is produced through real-world experience through consumption.
- While a brand’s image is intangible since it displays a company’s integrity and character. A brand’s identity is tangible since it connects to a company’s visual image.
Importance of brand identity for customer’s engagement
Customer interaction benefits both buyers and suppliers by raising closing rates while satisfying contemporary B2B customer expectations. Maintain consumer engagement throughout their purchase process to build client loyalty and collect crucial customer details.
Increase trust between your sales team and customers by providing consistent, tailored touchpoints across a range of relevant media. Keep in mind that each touchpoint should correspond to the customer’s progress along the purchasing journey. Also, supply them with useful information or content that will propel them along the sales funnel.
Good customer involvement has a direct and long-term impact on your brand loyalty, customer retention rate, and repeat purchase rate. According to one study, clients who utilize many channels to shop with a business have a 30% higher lifetime value than customers who only use one channel.
This essentially means that involvement provides your brand with fuel to achieve your commercial objectives. There are four primary motivators: trust, quality, convenience, and cost. When these four aspects are in sync, your brand’s customer engagement becomes smooth and persistent. For example, lowering the accessibility barrier makes it easier for more consumers to interact with your brand.
Conclusion
In short, the main motive of this post is to define the primary differences between brand identity and brand image. Brand image refers to a consumer’s opinion of a brand, whereas brand identity refers to a company’s attempts to build a favorable image in the consumer’s mind. As a result, this is the primary distinction between brand identity and brand image.
In a word, brand identity is the way a company presents itself to its target audience. Brand image, on the other hand, is how current and new clients view and engage with a specific brand. For example, the outlet store of Branded Shoes for Men represents its brand identity for its customer and maintains its brand image to engage more customers to their outlet store.