Brand EsSense: Using Sense, Symbol and Story to Design Brand Identity

233 Pages·2014·1.67 MB·English

by  Neil Gains

i
Brand
esSense
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iii
Brand
esSense
Using sense,
symbol and story
to design brand
identity
Neil Gains
iv
Publisher’s note
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book
is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept
responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or
damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the ma-
terial in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.
First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2014 by Kogan Page Limited
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review,
as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be re-
produced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing
of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and
licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be
sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:
2nd Floor, 45 Gee Street 1518 Walnut Street, Suite 1100 4737/23 Ansari Road
London EC1V 3RS Philadelphia PA 19102 Daryaganj
United Kingdom USA New Delhi 110002
www.koganpage.com India
© Neil Gains, 2014
The right of Neil Gains to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN 978 0 7494 7001 2
E-ISBN 978 0 7494 7002 9
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gains, Neil.
Brand esSense : using sense, symbol and story to design brand identity / Neil Gains.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-7494-7001-2 – ISBN 978-0-7494-7002-9 (ebook) 1. Branding (Marketing)
2. Brand name products. 3. Logos (Symbols) 4. Corporate image. I. Title.
HF5415.1255.G35 2013
658.8’27–dc23
2013026092
Typeset by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong
Print production managed by Jellyfish
Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
v
Dedicated to the memory of my brother Peter, 1971–2012
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Contents
Contents vii
List of figures x
List of tables xi
Introduction 1
Sense, symbol and story 2
Building brand esSense 5
The story of Brand esSense 6
The reality of perception 8
vii Signal and noise 8
Patterns in the world 10
Perception is an active construction 13
Nature and nurture 18
ContentS Matching the right patterns 20
Experience and memory 22
Associating with the right memories 24
The senses
close up 27
Five and counting 27
The primal sense 30
Basic taste 36
The touch of reality 41
Touching sight 42
List of figures x Sensing from
a distance 47
List of tables xi Touching space 47
The rhythm of life 52
The dominant sense 60
The colour of experience 65
Integrating the senses 69
S y m b o l s
Introduction 1 and signs 72
Symbols of life 72
The colour of meaning 74
Identity matters 75
Signifying something 78
01 the reality of perception 8 Understanding your category 80
The structure of signs 82
The story of meaning 84
Signal and noise 8 Changing times 85
Metaphor and meaning 87
Patterns in the world 10 Opposites matter 89
Squaring the circle 92
Perception is an active construction 13 Blending identity 94
Story and archetypes 97
Nature and nurture 18 Causality and the mind 97
The meaning of stories 99
Matching the right patterns 20 Story and myth 100
Brand archetypes 105
Experience and memory 22 Archetypal frameworks 107
Using archetypes in branding 115
Associating with the right memories 24 Archetypes of belonging 115
Archetypes of freedom 124
Archetypes of ego 132
Archetypes of order 141
Finding the esSense of
02 the senses close up 27 your brand 150
Building a brand back story 151
Cracking the category codes 153
Five and counting 27 Uncovering consumer stories and underlying conflicts 156
Building transformational stories 161
The primal sense 30 Moving to the senses 165
Building the story of an Asian food brand 167
Basic taste 36 Making rice ‘nice’ for a snack brand 168
Applying the esSense framework 171
The esSense of branding 171
The touch of reality 41 Brand colours 172
Brand senses 175
Touching sight 42 Symbolic names 180
Brand symbols 185
How archetypes answer why 192
Telling the brand story 195
03 Sensing from a distance 47 Using sense, symbol and story to build brand esSense 202
Touching space 47
The rhythm of life 52
The dominant sense 60
The colour of experience 65
Integrating the senses 69
viii Contents
04 Symbols and signs 72
Symbols of life 72
The colour of meaning 74
Identity matters 75
Signifying something 78
Understanding your category 80
The structure of signs 82
The story of meaning 84
Changing times 85
Metaphor and meaning 87
Opposites matter 89
Squaring the circle 92
Blending identity 94
05 Story and archetypes 97
Causality and the mind 97
The meaning of stories 99
Story and myth 100
Brand archetypes 105
Archetypal frameworks 107
06 Using archetypes in branding 115
Archetypes of belonging 115
Archetypes of freedom 124
Archetypes of ego 132
Archetypes of order 141
07 Finding the esSense of your brand 150
Building a brand back story 151
Cracking the category codes 153
Uncovering consumer stories and underlying conflicts 156
Building transformational stories 161
Moving to the senses 165
Building the story of an Asian food brand 167
Making rice ‘nice’ for a snack brand 168
Contents ix
08 Applying the esSense framework 171
The esSense of branding 171
Brand colours 172
Brand senses 175
Symbolic names 180
Brand symbols 185
How archetypes answer why 192
Telling the brand story 195
Using sense, symbol and story to build brand esSense 202
References 205
Index 213