Redefining Brand Boundaries

Mooch have recently teamed up with PR Agency You Do Better to deliver Public Relations as a service to their clients.

You Do Better has a distinctive way of working, not only does their pay-as-you-go model disrupt the usual ways of working within Public Relations (as most PR Agencies work only on retainer) it also redefines brand boundaries.

When it comes to brand, most organisations want to define colourways, fonts and produce brand guidelines to ensure measures are taken to safeguard their definitions of the brand.

What are brand guidelines?

Brand guidelines are rules a business sets for how it presents itself to the public, including its colours, fonts, voice, and design. Having consistent branding helps customers have the same experiences when interacting with the business.

Smaller businesses with limited time and resources can create simple brand guidelines, called "minimum viable brand guidelines" or a "brand style guide" to start. The important thing is to consistently follow the guidelines so they're effective - Shopify.

It seems obscure, therefore, that You Do Better does the opposite. Ruby, Owner and Director, of the disruptive local agency, has 4 logos in use at the moment - with a few more to come in 2023, because who says that consistent branding has to be restrictive.

"I use designs for logos often based on a creative project I'm working on - and a general inability to sleep - and utilise them interchangeably. I love that it's not the usual way of working, that's all good with me! The aim is to change things up, keep our style fresh and also demonstrate what we do. Trends change, experience is gained and we want to monopolise on that."

Luke Skinner, our very own Creative Director, says:

"Branding allows you to fully express your business’ personality and goals. Using a brand consistently helps people to trust you and build relationships with you – sometimes even subconsciously. The more assets you have as part of the brand, the more opportunities you have to stick in people’s minds."

Why create guidelines for your brand?

Creating a marketing message that is unmistakably, undeniably your organisation’s can ensure your message and image are synonymous with one another, regardless of who’s working on it:

• • Keep everyone on the same page. As your business grows, so will your team. A set of standards ensures everyone is clear on how to represent the brand.

• • Set your brand apart from your competitors. Distinct, strong branding helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace.

• • Drive customer retention and loyalty. Your brand identity is what connects you with customers and your community. It’s what brings them back time and again. - Shopify

Let's break it down, is the You Do Better approach to brand harming or helping its bottom line?

Ruby asks: Why do we all need to be on the same page? Not all potential clients will want to work with us and that's cool. I set up the business in this way to ensure that if you no longer want to work with us, leaving was an easy option. I don't want to play with people who don't want to play with me. I left that behind a while ago. I like to look myself in the mirror every night knowing I've done a hard day's work and invoiced accordingly. I find that retained work often means, in other agencies, that work is undertaken to fill the hours invoiced for (rather than being optimum output for your money) and that inexperienced team members take on the work that should be undertaken by experienced PRs.

As for setting your brand apart - our way of working does set our brand apart from the others, doesn't it? There is no marketing law - simply guidelines - so why not mix it up? I argue that our approach does make us stand out. I can understand how there could be confusion if a business was to rebrand all the time, as it would be confusing. And yet we've not changed our name, urls, accounts, services or ways of working. Just a logo or two. There are many companies who have inverted colour logos, or transparent ones - I just take this to the next level!

Customer retention is an issue for every business and some clients of our have come and gone, it's the nature of the work and also the pay-as-you-go model encourages an easy exit for those who want to leave, or whose project is over (and we also have revolving doors for those who want to come back too) but none have said they're going because our logo changed - our customers want the unique service that You Do Better provides and our range of logos is our own way of embodying this difference. I find more of an issue with organisations not putting their contact details or ways to pay for items front and centre on their websites, than I do with a logo change.

Luke concludes:

"A logo, whilst important, is only a small part of a brand. We always say a brand is like a person: the logo is your face but the brand is how you dress, how you talk, how you behave... these things often resonate more with customers than a logo which is why we build fully-rounded brands."

So what exactly are we saying here - is one logo better than many? This can depend on your situation and the guidelines your brand has, but in a creative agency there can be great opportunities if you just step slightly outside the norm rather than tie your hands to a small brand asset pool. After all, isn’t this difference why customers work with an agency in the first place?