A logo, a colour, or perhaps a slogan? No, not those. Which ones then? Based on more than seven years of research into the power of distinctive brand assets, Blauw has developed the DBA Benchmark. This allows us to see exactly which types of brand assets perform better than others, and where your marketing budget will work hardest.
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Brand assets with the greatest marketing potential
Let’s get straight to the point: sounds, symbols and characters generally score highest on the benchmark. This means that consumers recognise companies most effectively through these brand assets. The higher you score on ‘sound’, for example, the more consumers think of you when they hear it, and only you, not a competitor.
These three types of brand assets therefore hold the most marketing potential. They are the most likely to grow into a Distinctive Brand Asset. Have you already developed one of these three types of assets for your brand?
Sounds
Sounds trigger strong emotions. Are you familiar with the Grolsch adverts? Then you have probably noticed the ‘pop’ of the beer bottles opening. This sound is also recognisable in the cinema; it even became a tradition to wait until the lights went down before popping open a swing-top bottle. Beyond the ritual around it, Grolsch has made this sound entirely its own, as no other brand owns the ‘pop’ of a beer bottle (except perhaps Coca-Cola with the sound of the can, the pouring and the ‘Always Coca-Colaaaa’ song).
Other examples of distinctive sounds are HORNBACH’s ‘ja, ja, jippie jippie yeah’ and HEMA’s whistled jingle. These are audio logos created specifically for these brands. When people hear them, they immediately associate the sound with the brand, feel a strong emotion and often even want to hum or whistle along.
So there is a lot to be gained from sonic branding.
Pictorial marks
The Erasmus Bridge started as a symbol and grew into a pictorial mark for Rotterdam. This is just one example, but many symbols can develop into a pictorial mark in this way. A pictorial mark is a logo without a brand name.
You can compare the Erasmus Bridge to Amsterdam’s XXX symbol. This symbol originated from the Amsterdam coat of arms. This coat of arms consists of two lions holding a shield, an imperial crown above the shield, and a ribbon with the motto at the very bottom.
The white Triple XXX, on a black and red background, grew into the flag of Amsterdam. And you can find this simple yet powerful symbol everywhere in the city today: on bollards, buildings, the pavement, banners and even bicycles.
Symbols can be very basic, which makes them easy to use across all kinds of communication. Do you already have a recognisable symbol?
Characters
Mickey Mouse is a wonderful example of a ‘character’ that has developed into a logo. Characters are real or animated people, caricatures or mascots that represent a brand. Often it is a likeable character that people feel a connection with. Just think of Billie from Bol.com, Ronald McDonald from McDonald’s, or the puppy from Andrex toilet paper.
But the most famous characters are surely those of M&M’s. They (Red and Yellow) first appeared in 1954. In January 2022, M&M’s restyled its characters (Red, Yellow, Brown, Green, Blue and Orange) to give them a more modern look (one of the M&M’s even swapped her heels for trainers, as that female stereotype no longer fitted the times).
Back to Mickey Mouse, who is part of the Disney brand. Disney has its own logo, but over the years Mickey Mouse has become so famous that he can be used on his own as a logo for Disney. Disney can even advertise using only Mickey Mouse’s ears. The outline of the Disneyland Paris castle has a similar effect. Every consumer immediately feels a certain emotion and connection with the brand.
Characters win people’s hearts, which makes them strong brand assets. A specific colour or font simply cannot compete with that. Does your brand already have a character?
How to develop your sound, pictorial mark, or character
Perhaps you now have an idea of which types of brand assets you could best develop to stand out as a brand. But how do you approach that strategically? Get in touch: our research specialists would be happy to brainstorm with you!
