5 Brand Identity Models You Can Use in 2023
Are you looking for the perfect brand identity model to help your business stand out in 2023? You’ve come to the right place!
In this article, we will explore five of the most popular and effective brand identity models that can give your brand an unforgettable and unique image.
From visual identity to all other brand elements, these models are designed to offer a cohesive framework with one goal in mind: to make sure that your brand stands out from the crowd.
We will look at why each brand identity model is important, how it works, and what advantages it offers over others. So if you’re ready to boost your brand recognition and create a lasting impression on customers in 2023, read on!
How do you define brand identity?
Any successful brand needs to have a unique brand identity that sets it apart from the competition.
Amongst the many different functions and types of branding, brand identity is all about creating a brand essence that resonates with customers on an emotional level.
This includes everything from your logo, colour palette, fonts, images and messaging; to how you present your brand values, brand voice and the core identity of your brand.
A strong brand identity will help you build trust, brand loyalty, and stronger brand association among your target audience. Research shows that a good brand identity has the power to:
- Increase sales
- Drive customer loyalty
- Promote better product recognition
- Improve brand visibility.
What is a brand identity model?
A brand identity model is a framework or strategy that guides a brand’s identity. It helps companies develop cohesive brand assets and solidify their image in the competitive market.
An effective brand identity model defines how a brand image should be presented to its target audience, as well as providing guidelines for all the brand elements needed to do this.
Aligning your current brand with a brand identity model may also involve creating brand assets such as logos, fonts, colours, messaging and more, or even a full B2B rebranding if necessary.
Remember: brand identity is one of the biggest factors that drives customer retention and purchasing decisions, so a strong brand identity model to guide it, is crucial for brands of all sizes.
5 brand identity models you can use in 2023
- Kapfererer’s Brand Identity Prism
Source: Understanding Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism
Kapfererer’s Brand Identity Prism is a comprehensive framework that not only helps you define your brand identity, but also gives you guidelines for creating different elements that make up the visual identity of your business.
It consists of six components: physical evidence or physique, customer relationships, culture, personality, self-image and reflection.
The model encourages brands to think about how each component can work together to create a unified and consistent brand image and extended brand identity.
- The Corporate Brand Identity Matrix
HBR—In Theory: The Corporate Brand Identity Matrix
This brand identity model defines a brand’s identity as including nine key components—all of which relate to one another. The components outlined in this matrix include:
- External components such as value proposition, relationships and brand positioning
- Internal components such as brand heritage, mission and vision, culture and competences
- External/internal components such as brand expression, brand core and brand personality
By examining each of these components, and how they relate to one another, businesses can build a strong brand identity.
HBR’s advice for using the model is as follows:
- After the team has tackled the questions for all nine elements, examine whether the answers fit logically together, reinforcing one another.
- You’ll want to gauge how clearly they align along the matrix’s diagonal, vertical, and horizontal axes, which all pass through the brand core at the centre. Each axis illuminates a different kind of organisational capability: The diagonal one that begins in the bottom left corner highlights capabilities related to strategy; the diagonal one that begins in the top left corner, competition; the horizontal one, communications; and the vertical one, interaction.
- If your corporate brand identity is clear, the elements on each axis will harmonise. The stronger the connections along each axis are, the more “stable” the matrix is. One of your team’s goals should be to maximise stability.
- Huddle’s Brand Strategy Framework
Huddle’s 7-pillar brand strategy framework ties together all of the key components of your branding strategy, and can be used as a great business strategy to enable brand communication and recognition.
This framework starts by diving into the basic elements of a branding strategy: the Who, What, How, Where, and Why of your brand. From there, it outlines 7 pillars to help you achieve a brand identity that is cohesive, authentic, and truly resonates with your target audience.
They are:
- Branding specialists: As experts in designing brands from the ground up, a brand strategist can help you craft an authentic and successful brand story, build your brand identity and create powerful visuals to communicate this unique message.
- Competitor analysis & user research: In any brand development strategy, competitor analysis is crucial. You need to understand where you stand in relation to other players in your market: what are their strengths and weaknesses? What do they offer that sets them apart from the rest?
- Brand vision statement: This is where your W's from earlier come in. Your brand’s vision—and vision statement—should capture the essence of your Who, What, How, Where and Why in an inspiring and succinct way.
- Visual identity: Once you have a cohesive brand vision statement, you can use it to inform your new visual identity. This includes your logo, colour palette and typography—and all of the other design elements that make up your brand’s look and feel.
- Brand guidelines: Brand guidelines help you to manage, protect and grow your brand over time by providing clear direction, definition and rules on how your brand identity should be used in different contexts.
- Digital design: One thing that cannot be forgotten in the brand strategy process is your digital design. Your digital channels account for a large portion of your overall brand perception and first impressions, so it’s important to make sure they reflect the quality of your branding.
- Content strategy: The content you create and share can be used to build brand associations with current customers and build relationships with new ones, so think carefully about how each piece of content contributes to your overall brand story.
- The Aaker Model
The Aaker Model illustrates how brands can build greater brand equity using 4 key pillars:
- Brand awareness
- Perceived quality
- Brand association
- Brand loyalty.
Through these key pillars, businesses can start to visualise their brand as a product, organisation, person and symbol—all at once.
This holistic model provides not only a framework to define your brand identity, but also an understanding of how customers perceive it. By utilising the 4 pillars, brands can create a strong and lasting image that resonates with customers long-term.
- The RACE Model
Dave Chaffey—The RACE Model
While titled as a marketing strategy model, Dave Chaffey's RACE Model can also help to bolster a brand's identity. RACE stands for Reach, Act, Convert and Engage—each essential step for any business looking to make an impact in its industry.
- Reach: Here you want to focus on getting your message out into the world. This includes building a strong presence on all of the major social media platforms as well as other digital marketing strategies such as SEO and content marketing.
- Act: Once you have reached your target audience, it’s time to act. This means creating interesting and engaging content that’s tailored specifically for them.
- Convert: Now that you have their attention, start moving them further down the sales funnel with compelling offers and promotions.
- Engage: The final step is to nurture their relationship with your brand by creating experiences that make them feel valued and appreciated. This could include loyalty programs, exclusive content, or special discounts.
Ultimately, the brands that are able to successfully utilise these 4 components in unison will be the ones who reap the rewards of a loyal customer base and an unshakeable brand identity.
Closing thoughts
At Huddle, our team of branding experts are on-hand to help you craft your corporate brand identity and create a strong strategy that will ensure it resonates with customers in the long-term.
By utilising the support of our experts, you can build an effective framework to define, grow and protect your brand with confidence. With a suite of branding services designed to drive success, our team can help you take your brand to the next level.
Ready to start building your own powerful brand? Brief us today
Brand identity model FAQs
What is an example of a brand identity model?
A brand identity model is a tool that helps define and articulate the parameters of your corporate identity. A popular example of this is Kapfererer’s ‘Brand Identity Prism’ which contains six elements: brand personality, culture, relationship, reflection, self-image and physique.
What are the 5 brand identity models?
The top five brand personality models are: Kapfererer’s Brand Identity Prism; HBR’s Corporate Brand Identity Matrix; The Aaker Model; The RACE Model; and Huddle’s 7-Pillar Framework. Each model focuses on different elements of branding and provides an effective structure for businesses to build a successful identity.