The Best Branding Agencies

A brand is the way a consumer sees a company. Branding is about creating consumer demand for goods and services. The main objectives of branding are to popularize the company, increase brand awareness, increase sales, and profit. If you work with the brand correctly, consumers will pay more because they think the brand is worth it.

High-quality brand promotion - is more than half of the success of the product. It won't be easy creating a brand from the ground up; it is painstaking and difficult work, which requires a professional approach. 

The birth of a future brand begins with the development of a product or service that is needed by a specific target audience or with the idea of what it might be. It is necessary to answer the question about who exactly this product or service is intended for, who is the target audience of the future brand, and the differences between the product or service compared with competitors already existing in the chosen market segment for positioning. Knowing the answers to all these questions is a task for a branding company, their results of market research, and their target audience. Experienced branding consultants must have considerable experience and knowledge of the market in order to confidently express their expert opinion on issues related to brand development.

When you all already know the answers to the main questions about the competitive environment and the market segment in which the brand will be positioned, a branding company can begin to create a starting point on the way to creating a brand - to develop the essence of the brand - the concept of its positioning. Positioning is the identity of the brand, its identification in the market. The main task of positioning is to convey to the target audience the fundamental brand values. Consumers ignore goods that do not possess any advantages from their point of view. But it is not as simple as it may seem at first sight:

• These advantages must be unique.
• They must be attractive to the consumer.
• They should attract the target audience's attention more than the competitors' values.

Therefore, before creating a new product within a specific category, it is necessary to determine what the consumer expects from it. The difficult task of identifying the audience's needs, searching, and formulating brand values is also the branding agency's task.

The next stage of brand building is the development of the name. Professional top branding agencies must have a staff of professional copywriters and specialists in the field of patent law. The next stage - the stage of design, branding agency - is ideologists and creators who must be able to implement their ideas in practice. High-quality design plays a huge role in brand life. Few people will want to buy a product or use the company's services if the logo, corporate identity, or packaging will not inspire confidence.

That is why the design department is an obligatory component of a professional brand solutions company. To bring the brand's basic idea to the consumer, convince them to believe, try and love a product or service, is the task of the branding consultants. In other words, to form a stable connection between the brand and the consumer. The best branding companies will help create the right communication strategy that meets the goals and objectives of promoting a particular brand and developing a creative advertising campaign concept.

As we can see, the functionality of a branding company is quite broad, and the tools of companies that specialize in creating brands should be appropriate. It is important to remember that the agency and the client are one team. The final success of a brand in the market and its potential to become a strong, successful brand depend on that successful cooperation.

How to find the best branding agencies?

I'll give you some advice, so you know what to look out for.

• Project Releases. To understand what the branding service providers team can do, you need to see what brands it has already developed. In this case, do not pay attention to names and famous logos in the section "Our customers" on their website. Large well-known companies in the list of clients have value only if there is a story about the release. The release should include an introduction and a clear statement of the task performed by the brand solutions company. You should be able to understand what solution was offered to the client and why.
• Portfolio. If the project description in the portfolio refers only to the brand's visual part, it may be a sign that the team did not develop the brand as such. The brand is not just a visual. The brand is a whole system of communications.
• Reputation. If a project is awarded at any festival, it does not mean that it is the best branding company ever. Nevertheless, the collection of awards is a good indicator. Awards indicate that the best branding agencies understand how the industry works and develops. This is a sign that the team is able to find non-standard solutions and implement them qualitatively.
• Ratings. Look for an agency in various industry rankings. Most often, they are based on success in various reputable competitions and festivals.
• Media activity. When the branding consultants prove their competence and success, their team members are invited to webinars and conferences.
• Social networks. You can find in social networks of creators and branding consultants with whom you plan to work and see what kind of people they are in general.
• Agency's style. Top branding companies that can't represent themselves are unlikely to be able to represent you qualitatively. Look at what their logo and corporate identity look like, how they communicate with their audience. At least look at what their website looks like.
• Communicating with branding consultants. You should be careful if a branding company promises too much. For example, it guarantees multiple increases in sales. The brand, of course, affects the sales, but it doesn't do miraculous stuff.
• Set of services. Take a look at what the agency offers. Choose the one that provides a full set of services.

None of these factors can be elevated to an absolute. If there is no detailed portfolio on the agency's website, it is not a reason to immediately label them as incompetent. If an agency has no prestigious awards, it may mean that they simply do not want to spend money and time on participation in festivals. Your decision should be based on the sum of all these factors. Make a table, enter data about different branding vendors into it, and see the overall picture.