Once you’ve established the digital face of your brand by designing a business website, you might be looking into corporate branding to elevate your identity to the next level.
Corporate branding practices broadly address components such as a brand’s purpose, audience, and visual elements. Understanding how to incorporate these elements strategically can make the difference between a brand that potential clients forget, and one the public remembers.
To help you get started, we’ve outlined five impactful branding ideas, each supported by relevant corporate branding examples.
What makes a strong corporate brand?
Before we can implement branding ideas, the first step is to understand what a corporate brand is. A strong corporate brand is built on a well-defined identity that reflects a company’s mission, vision and values.
- The mission defines the purpose of the organisation.
- The vision outlines its long-term goals.
- The values guide decision-making and company culture.
Together, these elements formulate a personality which shapes how a brand communicates and is perceived by the public.
A consistent brand presence – whether formal, friendly, or innovative – helps create a recognisable identity.
#1: Personalise your marketing efforts
Brands that understand their consumers’ personas can tailor their branding to resonate deeply with their target audience.
Dove, for example, caters primarily to young women aged 18 to 30, a demographic often preoccupied with themes of self-confidence, body positivity and authenticity. By aligning its values with these concerns, Dove has built a brand identity centred around self-acceptance and natural beauty.
Its aesthetic reflects these values, featuring clean, minimalistic packaging, soft colour palettes, and real, unretouched images of diverse women. This commitment to authenticity extends to its marketing campaigns, such as the Dove Real Beauty Pledge, which challenges conventional beauty standards by inviting all women to realise their own personal beauty.
Brands looking to personalise their marketing efforts can implement similar strategies by aligning their messaging with the values and concerns of their target audience.
Leverage consumer insights and data analytics to understand the needs, preferences, and expectations of your audience. Services such as conversion rate optimisation can help you track user behaviour, so you can shape content that speaks directly to your target audience.
Create campaigns that reflect your ideal customer experience. For example, For example, if your audience values sustainability, showcase your ethical sourcing and eco-friendly practices through storytelling, behind-the-scenes content, and transparent reporting.
Maintain a consistent brand voice across advertising, social media and customer interactions to ensure that messaging remains cohesive and emotionally engaging.
#2: Utilise a story first approach
Storytelling is a valuable strategy that helps brands humanise their identity and establish a more impactful presence. Fatigued by countless brands each day, consumers are more likely to be engaged by narratives than products.
Sharing authentic stories about a company’s journey, challenges and successes can craft a more personal identity that is relatable to consumers.
Patagonia, for example, uses storytelling effectively to highlight its commitment to sustainability. The outdoor recreational clothing brand shares stories about its environmental activism, efforts to reduce waste and partnerships with eco-conscious organisations.
Using real-life anecdotes of how your actions align with your mission can help connect with consumers who care about related issues.
Highlight the values and mission behind a product or service, showing consumers how their business decisions align with your broader purpose.
Share behind-the-scenes content, such as the development process of a product or your brand’s history, to create an emotional connection with customers.
Incorporate customer testimonials or real-life experiences to demonstrate how your brand positively impacts its audience.
Harness digital marketing strategies by using multiple platforms such as social media, blogs and videos to craft narratives that reinforce your core values.
When brands share meaningful stories, they appeal to consumers’ pathos, creating an emotional impression. This makes storytelling an incredibly compelling strategy for building relationships and helping customers feel emotionally invested in your brand’s success and mission.
#3: Participate in community initiatives
Engaging in community involvement is an effective strategy for strengthening a brand’s presence and fostering goodwill.
When brands participate in local events or sponsor community initiatives, they demonstrate a commitment to their surroundings. This builds a relationship with the community that extends beyond the simple consumer-vendor dynamic.
Starbucks, for example, has engaged in community-focused programs such as its Community Store initiative, which directly supports underserved neighbourhoods by contributing a portion of store profits to local causes. This investment in local communities resonates with consumers who value brands that align with their beliefs.
Sponsor or host local events, such as charity runs, food drives, or art exhibitions, that align with the brand’s values.
Collaborate with local organisations or businesses on initiatives that support the community, reinforcing the brand’s roots in the area.
Create volunteer opportunities for employees to actively participate in local programs, further expanding your reach.
Sharing success stories from community initiatives is also an effective way to combine community initiatives with the aforementioned storytelling approach. Overall, building a strong presence in a local community ultimately helps build trust and closer relationships with consumers.
#4: Consider the power of cause marketing
Cause marketing offers brands a powerful way to define a greater purpose beyond profit. Like community involvement, it demonstrates a company’s dedication to positive change – but with a key difference. Cause marketing ties consumer purchases directly to the support of a social or environmental mission, creating a more meaningful connection and a stronger sense of fulfilment for customers.
TOMS Shoes, for example, is widely recognised for its One for One model, where the brand donates a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. The impact of this initiative was strengthened by sharing impactful stories on social media, highlighting the real-world results of its donations. Stories of people receiving shoes or benefiting from TOMS’ social programs reinforced that consumer purchases contributed to the greater good.
Brands looking to implement cause marketing can adopt a similar approach by partnering with causes that resonate with their audience and align with their values.
Partner with a cause that aligns with your brand values and mission.
Consider collaborating with a non-profit organisation to increase the reach of your cause.
Share real stories and impactful visuals on social media to show the tangible difference the brand is making.
Consider a buy-one, give-one model or donate a portion of profits to charity, clearly linking purchases to positive social impact.
The key to cause marketing is making the social cause central to your brand’s identity, which can foster longer-term relationships built on shared values, and enhance your reputation as a socially responsible company.
#5: Create memorable moments through experiential marketing
Experiential marketing is a strategy that allows brands to connect with consumers using live immersive experiences. This approach enables customers to engage with a brand through direct participation, which enhances recall and emotional attachment.
Nike, for example, has effectively used experiential marketing through initiatives like the Nike Training Club App, events and interactive in-store experiences. These events allow customers to engage directly with the brand in ways that align with Nike’s values of fitness, empowerment, and athleticism.
Experiential marketing campaigns are particularly effective as they create novel and lasting impressions on consumers.
Host interactive events, such as product launches, pop-up shops, or live demonstrations, to allow customers to experience the brand firsthand.
Use virtual or augmented reality to create unique digital experiences that enable consumers to engage with the brand in new and exciting ways.
Incorporate customer participation, allowing them to actively engage in experiences such as contests, workshops, or hands-on product testing.
Experiential marketing allows brands to forge stronger connections with consumers by delivering memorable, one-of-a-kind experiences. When executed effectively, it can be what distinguishes your business in a crowded market.
That said, the logistics of planning and executing experiential campaigns can be daunting – especially for brands new to this approach. To ensure success, it’s essential to align each initiative with your brand values and incorporate effective data collection strategies. Partnering with a virtual CMO can streamline the process, helping you manage complex campaigns and develop a tailored strategy that delivers real marketing impact.