Strong brands are consistent brands. Just think of the world’s best well-known companies. Why are they so instantly recognizable? Because their brand identity and experience are consistent and distinct wherever and whenever we come into contact with it.
Consistency is also about building trust, because familiarity ultimately breeds trust in both our company and our products - which in turn drives a preference for DSM from stakeholders ranging from customers to potential employees.
But perhaps most importantly, being consistent doesn’t mean we cannot be creative. Quite the contrary. Rather, it creates the solid foundations for us to create smart new ways of communicating our brand in a memorable way that people everywhere know, trust and respect.
This is only half the challenge however. It’s also essential that our brand doesn’t become a boundary to creativity. In short, we realize that you need the freedom to build upon our brand’s core visual and verbal elements to create imaginative and inspiring creative work that resonates with your key stakeholders and makes us stand out from the competition.
Which is why we’ve created The Brand Communications Checklist to help get this ‘brand balance’ just right - and identify areas where you can load the brand more consistently and creatively - whether it’s building a ‘brand bridge’ through our End Market Narrative or simply writing stronger headlines with greater stopping power.
To give you an idea, we’ve selected one of our Showcase campaigns and applied this checklist to illustrate exactly how and why it’s such a powerful expression of our brand.
If you (and your agencies and suppliers) follow these simple rules you really can’t go wrong - and who knows? Perhaps your own campaign will be appearing in the next updates of this Brand Showcase.
| Element | Explanation | Does it comply? |
|---|---|---|
| Overall impact | Does it make me stop and take notice? | Clear and engaging. |
| Brand & purpose application | Are the imagery, typeface, color pallet and language in line with our DSM brand identity and purpose? | The ad uses the DSM brand system (although purpose connection could be stronger). |
| Brand bridge | Does it connect our high-level brand story to your specific proposition? If in doubt, consult our End Market Narrative explanation. | Makes our key value of sustainability relevant to the end market audience. |
| Creativity & differentiation | Does it send a memorable and distinctive and message to your key audience? Focus on the USP. | Yes. You don’t see an ‘armoured’ chick every day… |
| Headline stopping power | Does it make an immediate connection and establish relevance for the reader? | Extremely clear (could it be more creative though?). |
| Image stopping power | Does it have real visual impact and relevance? | Establishes the relevance immediately: ‘this is about protecting chicks’. |
| Main content | Does it summarize the story well and support benefits with facts (show, don’t tell). | Main copy is slightly vague, but the infographic adds real weight. |
| Call to action | Is it clear and assertive? | Couldn’t be clearer: We make it possible. |
In B2B marketing in particular, any bold claim that a company makes is likely to be met with a familiar response: prove it!
That’s why the best way for us to make a serious and lasting impact among our target audiences is to share fact-based goals, targets and statistics - that readers can very quickly absorb and remember.
Don’t forget that everything we do is linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - so try to refer to these whenever possible.
By doing this - and showing the impact that we’re making on society by hitting or perhaps even exceeding our goals - we grow our credibility; we increase our authenticity; and we enhance the reputation and value of our brand.
How do you create a truly differentiated brand campaign that tackles a defining topic in an incisive and emotionally resonant way; supported by solid science and facts; and all beautifully integrated with the DSM purpose and brand identity?
For a glimpse into the future of where business – and our brand – is going, look no further than the DSM Virtual Venue.
When it comes to taking our purpose and making it tangible - and relevant - for endmarket customers, it’s hard to look past this outstanding campaign from DSM HNH.
