In today’s competitive digital landscape, building a strong brand image is no longer a choice. It’s a necessity.
Much of the world has changed in the past year, but one universal truth remains: your brand is the hallmark of your quality. It’s the most effective way to share your company voice, tone and story. And with over 7.9 million retailers developing into the online space, it can be the sole differentiator between a customer pledging their loyalty to you or going elsewhere to satisfy their needs.
A strong brand enables you to maintain a congruent identity across multiple platforms, establish your authority and spark a connection with your audience. And as you separate yourself from a faceless red sea of competitors, your audience gains the confidence they need to buy and buy again.
The power of branding is supported by data. Leading statistics presented by Renderforest suggest a consistent brand reputation can increase revenue by as much as 33%, with most customers preferring to buy products from familiar places. The message is clear: never under-estimate the importance of a strong identity. Through consistency, congruence and commitment, it can transform your business.
So, how do you do it? The answer is simple: make a measured investment in strategic branding and PR. To send your brand soaring to worldwide acclaim, these top 7 branding firms have you covered.
1.Edelman
Founded in 1952 by Dan Edelman, Edelman is today the world’s biggest independent PR agency, helping to define modern public relations. The agency continues to push the boundaries of what PR can do, partnering with 2,000 of the world’s leading businesses, helping them evolve, promote and protect their brand’s reputation. Based in the United States, Edelman has expanded to 65 offices worldwide and 5,000 employees since its inception – and with that kind of scale remains at the very forefront of helping brands cope with today’s turbulent market conditions. “Sixty percent of consumers now buy brands they trust,” according to their thinking. “In exchange, consumers expect brands to take a stand on societal issues while solving personal challenges. Brands must recognize that consumers are now living inside out, with a world that starts at home, with top concerns now personal health and family instead of image or status.” Sound advice.
2.Ogilvy
Ogilvy is one of the largest advertising agencies inthe world. Started in 1948 by David Ogilvy with no clients and a staff of two, Ogilvy has since grown to 450 offices in 169 cities with Lauren Crampsie now at the helm as president. Ogilvy is part of the WPP Group and provides a comprehensive range of marketing services including advertising, PR, public affairs, branding, shopper marketing, healthcare communications’ and digital marketing. The advertising giant has worked with massive multinational names such as Nationwide, Motorola, KFC, Bacardi-Martini, Amazon and more. They also stress the importance of identity in the current era: “Today the world is fragmented, chaotic, even unpredictable. Brands offer focus. To make the most of that opportunity, brands must have meaning, coherence and shape. We design the brand; we turn the brand into an experience; and we communicate the brand’s story. We make brands matter.” Matter they should.
3. VaynerMedia
Gary Vaynerchuk is a tour de force in today’s marketing industry and a regular sight on social media. As CEO of VaynerMedia, one of the youngest branding agencies in the world, he maintains that the company is a “truly consumer-centric storytelling engine”. Leaning on the power of creative ideas from both client and agency, modernity is one of this company’s highest values. “We are a modern mix of traditional Madison Avenue thinkers of yesterday and internet-centric storytellers of today who believe a single tweet can go all the way to a Super Bowl commercial.” Make no mistake this is a very modern branding agency, driven by the power of social media and its direct contact with consumers. “We’re a global creative and media agency,” says Gary Vee, “and we work differently because we’re built differently.”
4.Unstoppable Branding Agency
Women-owned and 80% women-run, Unstoppable Branding Agency is an independent branding and PR firm led by CEO Rhonda Swan. The company has garnered industry accolades for bringing a ‘human-to-human’ connection into marketing and PR, making a promise to “turn best kept secrets into world known experts” through high-level PR and media. Their brand strategy includes storytelling, SEO, Google ranking and brand messaging, with each and every tactic paying close mind to market insights. With a full house of experts in digital marketing, top-tier publishing, graphic design, UI/UX and content production, there are endless ways in which the company can elevate your personal brand and positioning to the next level.
5.The Engine Group
The Engine Group is a dynamic branding, design and marketing company built on 14 agencies working across the full spectrum of marketing disciplines. They have 30 locations around the world, including in the U.K., New York, Shanghai, LA, and Sydney. The company has gained renown across the world for their new breed of marketing agency, having worked with clients such as Unilever, Nestlé, American Express, Disney, Xbox and more. “Engine exists to achieve culture change by establishing a high performance and engaging business to deliver exceptional customer outcomes and transformation,” states their website. “Engine is here to move your brand forward faster.” One look at what they offer and you’ll see this is a branding agency that pulls out all the stops.
6.Your Social Voice
Your Social Voice is a marketing and advertising agency out of Perth, Australia, that puts innovation first. Led by Kim Barrett as CEO and founder, the company is dedicated to “helping experts and knowledge brokers become the mogul of their industry.” The company is a proponent of putting your goals before all else, and helps you reverse engineer the best strategy to do so using the “NOC Method,” which consists of your niche, offer, and copy. Offering innovative and ahead-of-the-curve advertising and marketing solutions, Your Social Voice is focused heavily online with supreme expertise in Facebook and Instagram Advertising. Says Barrett: “Over the last seven years in business, we’ve managed just shy of $11M in ad spend and helped hundreds of experts become industry authorities – earning more in a month than they once did in a year. Our clients generate a collective average of $3.2M every month from about $86k in ad spend…” The numbers do the talking.
7.Mindful Media
Mindful Media, founded by Michael Graziano, helps mindful people and projects get featured in major publications to increase sales, earn credibility and rank at the top of Google search. Committed to working with individuals leading their industries and communities towards a better future, the company has grown from strength to strength since its creation. It has quickly become one of Canada’s fastest growing agencies and has now pivoted to focus on the up-and-coming social media platform Clubhouse. “We’re a PR agency that works with mindful individuals and brands,” says Graziano, “and we’re focused on helping them to lead their industries and communities towards a better future.”
In closing let’s just say the importance of branding simply cannot be overstated. And fortunately, while competing in the online space may at first seem daunting, curating a strong, ubiquitous brand image is not the guessing game that it once was. In fact, it’s never been easier – if you know where to look.
