What is Brand Strategy? Why Should I Invest in it?

What do we mean by ‘brand strategy’?

Brand strategy goes beyond aesthetics; it encompasses the core values, messaging, and unique identity that sets your business apart. To put it simply; your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. So, a brand strategy is a plan to make sure you’re using your brand to your advantage.

The best brand strategies underpin the visual and verbal identity of your business and creates a recognisable look and feel at lots of different touch points. Above all, it makes your brand work for you and helps your business achieve its goals.

The transformative effect of brand strategy

The mighty team at OnHand wowed the judges on Dragon’s Den with their change-making corporate volunteering business idea. But Dragon Steven Bartlett told them their brand was ‘ugly’, and held back their business.

They challenged us with a complete brand overhaul, starting from the ground up. Since going through the rebranding process with us – and really honing in on their brand strategy – OnHand has seen a 3x increase in inbound leads and revenue growth. Not only that, they’ve won big contracts with RightMove and Co-op Bank, and been named G2’s Global Leader for CSR Software in 2023. You can read more about the transformative effect of OnHand’s rebrand here.

How designers use a brand strategy to create a visual and verbal brand identity

Branding is not just about making things look nice. Think of your brand as a person and imagine how you would describe them to a friend. Is your brand serious and professional with a neutral palette? Or is your brand bright, colourful, eye-catching and fun?

With a solid brand strategy you can craft a distinctive visual and verbal brand identity. Your strategic framework guides the selection of colours, typography and other visual elements. Typography choices, for example, align with a brand’s tone – whether it’s playful, formal, or innovative. These intentional design decisions harmonise with the brand strategy helping to create a more cohesive brand and message.

For our work with plant-based food brand Eat Curious, the strategy was all about positively empowering people to eat better, healthier and sustainably. To carry this brand idea forward we developed a visual language that’s full of flavour. From typography and colour palette, to copywriting and art direction – every corner of the identity is powered with positivity.

Long-term benefits of a great brand strategy

A robust brand strategy increases brand recognition, making your business more memorable in the minds of consumers. This recognition, along with a well-thought-out strategy, leads to improved customer loyalty, as customers connect with your brand on a deeper level. Positive word-of-mouth marketing follows, amplifying your brand’s reach organically. A strong strategy also makes your advertising work harder; customers recognise your brand quicker and your marketing efforts resonate with your target audience.

The benefits extend internally too, rallying teams around a single mission and attracting talent who share the company values. Through a clarity of purpose and shared understanding, strong company culture is born.

Whether for early-stage start-ups or mature businesses, we love the challenge of unpicking what makes a brand special.  If you’re thinking about your brand but don’t know where to start, drop us an email to see how we can help.