Monday, September 13, 2010

Brand vs. Logo


Recently, I was making a presentation to new real estate agents. A man in the audience made a comment about our company’s logo. He said that the logo was all wrong; the color was too bright and “hideous” was the word he used, and the font was old. He said if he had the chance he’d change the logo color to sandstone for one area of the country and other colors for other different areas. He thought it would be best to make the logo fit more into the local environment than to recognize the brand as a national leader.
Hmmm… Brand vs. Logo?
Without much need for reflection I responded with, “I WANT a nationally recognized logo or even a regionally recognized one! It isn’t the logo though that makes the brand. It’s the quality of the relationships that make the brand. The logo helps you find it.” And the great debate was on!
I think he missed the point. It’s worth repeating: “It isn’t the log that makes the brand.”
Leave the logo alone and work on the service given. It isn’t the brand that makes a successful agent. It’s the service the brand and individuals that perform the services of the company that truly define the brand. Chris Brogan in his blog post “When You Are the Brand” makes several excellent points about being community minded. The brand is created because of the quality of service the company or individuals of the company provide. Chris goes further by saying that you can never rest on your reputation. The reputation of your company rests nearly solely on your next relationship not the last one.

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