What is “corporate identity”?

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

What is corporate identity can be answered with these six points

Anyone experienced in the communication industry, or well versed in the fields of marketing, advertising or public relations will understand the importance of corporate identity in advertising.

What is corporate identity in advertising? Essentially, corporate identity identifies or conveys a company’s brand, logo, or trademark. A sound and successful marketing or advertising campaign will present a company’s corporate personality or brand in a clear, consistent manner in order to enhance recognition and visibility.

Consider the companies, products or brands that you notice or use on a daily basis. Perhaps you stop at McDonald’s for a coffee in the morning. What is corporate identity in advertising the McDonald’s brand? The golden arches of course!

Recently, Business Week Magazine complied a list of the top 100 most recognizable brands in the world. These brands include Coca Cola, Microsoft, GE, Disney, American Express, Google, Sony, Nike, Apple, UPS, Kellogg, Nintendo, MTV, Rolex, Levis, Starbucks, Kodak, Kraft and even Pizza Hut!

What is corporate identity in advertising all of these internationally recognizable names? Essentially, all these companies have achieved an enduring brand, as a result of a consistent, repetitive and unified marketing campaign. Establishing an enduring brand with recognizable print materials has enabled these companies to form a sound and solid relationship with customers by building trust, respect and admiration.

Although we tend to recognize brands primarily by their logos, branding actually encompasses a long term vision or strategy for achieving corporate goals and objectives.A great deal of research goes into branding and evaluating corporate identity.

Branding has become quite a buzz word in recent years, but deciphering what is corporate identity in advertising has become an industry unto itself. In some cases, marketing firms are paid millions of dollars to help companies establish competitive brands that reflect a strong and creative corporate identity.

Anyone involved in launching or growing a business will want to pay close attention to branding, brand management, and corporate identity. Regardless of whether a company is large or small, establishing brand equity can be a key to financial success.

Six Simple Tips for Building a Brand and Establishing Strong Corporate Identity:

1. Own the name or keyword of your business. Take the time to brainstorm your business concept and ideas with employees, investors, stakeholders, customers and marketing consultants. Evaluate competition and pinpoint the unique features of your business concept. Select a clear, meaningful name for the company or brand you will be building, and then purchase the rights to that name.

2. Develop a strong, meaningful and purpose driven corporate mission statement or business objective.

3. Design a logo. A successful logo will be effective in either black and white or color, and will be simple enough to be easily describable. A strong logo will also be relevant to the business concept, product or mission statement. Last but certainly not least, a good logo will be memorable.

4. Reputation is critical to building a strong brand. Reputation has more to do with your customers than with your company. Strive to provide your customers with a good experience with your brand. A good user experience is the best way to build positive associations.

5. Do not begin advertising until you have established a clear business name and corporate mission. In fact, it can be counter productive to advertise if you don’t have a clear positioning statement or corporate message to convey.

6. Focus first on internal advertising or marketing collateral such as business cards, website or company newsletter. Later, focus on external advertising such as television or newspaper ads. Repeat a clear, consistent advertising message in all your advertising initiatives

References:
The Big Page of Corporate Identity Resources
Ceonex White Paper: What is Corporate Identity?