HOW DO BRANDS BECOME ICONIC?

The business and marketing worlds have always been competitive spheres, but since the dawn of globalization and the internet zeitgeist, hypercompetitiveness rules the day. And for a brand to stand out in this climate, they must become iconic.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ICONIC?

To brands, iconic means that products and services are highly relevant to the target audience, they are recognizable and distinct. Furthermore, becoming iconic doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, simplicity and timelessness are some of the critical elements of iconicity. Think the simple Nike or Target logo, or the clean lines and shape of an Absolut bottle.

Iconicity also takes shape within the memories and emotions of the consumer. Winning brands which reach iconicity have already imprinted within their target market’s consciousness. For instance, people remember the distinct colors, shape, and texture of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and the feelings those products elicit.

A warning, though; brands that reach iconic status, but become complacent and then chase after the next ‘shiny object’ fad can anger customers and quickly lose iconicity.

CASE IN POINT

Take Coca-cola, for example. The signature drink was first patented in 1885, and after experimenting as a ‘nerve tonic’ complete with cocaine in the mix, the brand soon finalized their recipe in 1903. For decades, coke remained the same, imprinting its look, feel, and taste within its target market. That is until the mid-1980s when the company decided to experiment with its formulation again. Consumers boycotted the company until the brand switched back to its (somewhat original) formula.

Being relevant in a meaningful way gives a brand, iconicity. To stand out in the crowd without resorting to fads and shiny object syndrome, brands need to think long and hard about what makes them distinct, right down to their logo, signature, tone, and colors.

Steve Jobs designed the first Apple logo in the late 1970s with Ronald Wayne. The first logo was busy, intricate, and would be difficult for a consumer to remember or articulate to those unfamiliar with the company. Steve Jobs commissioned designer Rob Janoff to work on the logo, giving us the memorable, simple, and timeless bitten apple design the entire world now recognizes.

CONSIDERATIONS

When thinking about how to make your brand iconic, think about the following elements:

LOOK: Is your logo simple, easy to identify, and can a customer articulate it to another person? Is your brand’s personality shining through the way it is visually presented?

FEEL: What is the tone of your brand? How does that resonate with your target customer, and can you easily replicate it across products and services?

POINT OF DIFFERENCE: What values does your brand embody, and is the brand’s purpose resonating with the target market? Also, how can your brand promise and deliver on specifics where your competitors cannot?

Remember, when building your brand’s iconicity, don’t stray. Brands that try to experiment with the next shiny object or respond to a fad will lose loyal customers and hurt their brand’s image. And if you’re first starting out, take the long view when building your brand. Don’t look to fads but instead, work on developing a timeless and distinct brand that will create and cement positive memories for your customers.

IF YOU CAN'T CONTROL IT, STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT

You have a flight to catch, a crucial flight to catch at an ungodly hour in the morning. If you miss the flight, horrible things will happen, and understandably so. Perhaps you’ll lose out on a significant contract, or worse; get fired. While your worry about the outcome of missing the flight is rational, what isn’t logical is worrying yourself sick about missing the flight.

How so?

Well, have you taken reasonable precautions to ensure you’ll catch your flight on time? Do you know where your tickets, necessary paperwork, and identification is? Is everything packed and ready to go? Do you have a ride to get there, or do you have your vehicle where none of the tires are flat, and the ignition starts to get you there? Will you leave early enough?

If you answered ‘yes’ to everything, then all of your other worrying is nonessential. If you’ve taken care of everything on your end of the deal, any other mitigating factors are out of your control.

Can you control traffic or traffic accidents? No. Worrying about things that you have no power over will not stop them from happening. All you can do is make the right choices and decisions to reasonably prevent disasters and mishaps on your end, and also rationally and calmly handle problems when and if they do arise.

Sometimes, we think that excessively worrying about the improbable will prevent it from happening. Of course, magic doesn’t exist and worrying will not shield you from life’s accidents.

And what if you are in the creative industry?

Do worry and anxiety help or hinder the creative process? According to research, fear, anxiety, and pessimism are huge stumbling blocks for creatives. Worry takes up far too much mental headspace, leaving no room for problem solving or for brainstorming new ideas. While you can’t control every horrible outcome, you can control how much you dwell on them and how much power you give them over your life.

If you want to have more optimism and energy, let go of harmful worry and rumination today. Take responsibility for what you can control, and forget about that which you cannot. You’ll boost your energy and creative output, and be seen as a trustworthy, capable leader in your industry.