The Flexible Brand Identity - Rising to the challenge of a new communication world

Abstract

Various companies have identified the importance of a closely defined brand identity for the success of their brands. Brand elements such as for example the logo, name or color form part of the identity and serve as a means for customers to identify a specific brand. New media technologies however have revolutionized communication and have as well affected brand management. The new communication world seems to have created new challenges for the design and nature of brand identity elements. Whether the new communication world overall has impacted the role of brand identities, is the central problem for research of this thesis. This will be contemplated by assessing three assumptions about the need for flexibility of the different elements due to different brand environment trends. After introducing the reader to the identity-­‐based brand management approach and the Brand Identity Planning Model by Aaker and Joachimsthaler that aim at creating a strong brand, the different brand identity elements are selected and presented. A detailed description of the new communication world will provide the reader with a better understanding of the trends and challenges brands face today. Besides the variety of new, interconnected and interactive channels like social and mobile media, user-­‐ generated content and the little control brands have over its creation and spreading is assumed to impact the flexibility of brand identity elements. But as well the trend of opening up brand management and more extensively involving the customer, seems to require a greater flexibility. Major source of information for the assessment of the need for flexibility due to the brand environment trends indicated, are selected employees from the brand consultancy and design agency Landor Associates. With the help of expert interviews, the author analyzes, how each element is required to be or become more flexible due to the distinctive trends. The different assumptions are answered in a last step, before contemplating what this means for the role of brand identities in a new communication world.