Brand elements or elements of a brand are critical for a successful business, regardless of the kind of business.

It is something every business needs.

Therefore, the elements of a brand stand as the pillars of a business. I guess you are wondering how this is true.

Take a minute to think about the most beautiful and tallest building in your street.

Can you see how it is standing tall and beautiful despite the heaviness of rainfall each day and night?

brand elements

Image credit: Pinterest

Why does the beautiful building look very strong each day?

Simply because it has a very strong foundation that is made of pillars.

These pillars are well-built to keep the buildings strong against windfalls.

In other words, brand elements could be seen as the pillars that hold your business over time.

In this article, you will understand why brand elements are like pillars of your business. Also, how they can be used to sustain your business.

What Are Brand Elements?

Brand elements are attributes used to identify, differentiate, and position a brand. These elements make it easy for consumers to recognize your products.

Your brand elements are like pillars that are built to strengthen your identity. They help your business remain visible, attractive and relevant in the consumers’ mind.

Do you know there is a difference between a brand and a brand element?

I already have an article dedicated to simply explain the meaning of a brand.

Related Content: What Is A Brand? Are You Thinking Like A Savvy Marketer?

Now that you have known what brand is all about. It is easier to understand how you can utilize the elements to enhance your business.

A brand element for business includes logo, tagline, brand name, trademarks, and more. It is usually combined for an effective result.

For example, a company could use tagline and color to increase its recognition. The company can as well combine taste, color, and tagline to attract more customers.

7 Types of Brand Elements you should Use to Sustain Your Business

1. Brand Name

A Brand name is a word used to identify or differentiate a company and its products from the others.

For example, names like Youtube, Nokia, Apple Inc, Samsung, India, Nigeria, USA, and Germany. Also, Harvard University, Coca Cola, Elites Content, Google, and Facebook, etc.

The name of a business or its products plays a very important role in its success or failure. Each business has a unique name.

A brand name has a tremendous contribution to the success of your business. It must be chosen with care.

Your brand name needs to be easily pronounced and should relate to the kind of products you deal with. Also, your brand name should have a meaning that is not repugnant to society.

brand name
Image Credit: Roads

A brand name is a unique word used to identify a particular business, product, or institution.

2. Tagline

A tagline is a phrase or sentence used to identify a particular business or it’s products. Taglines are also referred to as themelines, slogans, or catchphrases. They are also used to catch the attention of consumers or target audience.

Taglines are most used interchangeably with themelines, slogans, or catchphrases. They could be used as tools to catch consumers’ attention.

For example, Nike company has “Just do it”, Indomie product has ” Tasty Nutrition. Good For You”. Apple has “Think Different’. Mc Donald has “I’m lovin It”, Toyota has “Moving Foreward”, Ford is ” Go Further” Verizon is “can you hear me now” , etc.

Brand elements

It is pertinent to note that tagline can easily be changed and some company uses them differently in different countries or regions.

The same principles that guide a brand name also apply to a tagline. It should not be boring and should not have a meaning that is appalling.

This means that a tagline should also be related to the kind of products involved. For example, “Go Further” used by Ford Motors fits its automobile products.

Can you imagine what comes to your mind if the company uses “taste great” or delicious yummy” as its tagline?.

It is important to ensure a connection between the tagline and your kind of business.

3. Logo

A logo is a unique design work of art that beautifies and identifies the properties of a business. It is a unique sign or symbol that serves as powerful brand elements that project a brand or business to the public.

Companies, institutions or organizations whether profit or non-profit making have their logos which can represent them anytime anywhere.

brand logo

The use of a logo to project and enhance the identity of the brand is not only used by businesses alone. It could be used by nations which could reflect in their flags.

Every organization- profit and non-profit make use of their logos as a representative.

The use of a logo to project and enhance the identity of the brand is not only used by businesses alone. Nations use logos as a representative and a mark of identity. It could reflect in their flags as well. For example, USA and Nigeria can be identified by the use of their logos. By seeing the flag, one could denote the countries’ presence.

Brand logos are also symbols and marks designed as representatives. They are used by a business, organization or a nation.

4. Color

The color of a product or items of a specific business is among the oldest brand elements.

Marketers have used color for years as part of their powerful marketing tools. It has not lost its effectiveness to date.

With the aid of color, consumers can easily differentiate or identify your products.

Brand Color

The color you choose to associate your brand which reflects in your brand logo, package, and design.

For example, Yahoo, Elites Content, and Hallmark are closely related to purple color. Facebook, Intel, and Skype relate to blue while Coke Cola, UBA, and Virgin Atlantic relate to red colors.

It is necessary to be consistent with any color chosen as part of your brand elements.

5. Sound

Sound is part of the elements used to build a brand. It is the unique sound, tune, note, vocal. Businesses use it as a differentiating factor within their industry.

The use of sound as an element of a brand is mostly done by firms that deal on an automobile or electronic devices. For example, Nokia’s guitar tune (“Grande Valse”). This is among the first identifiable mobile phone sound in the world.

Also, Volvo has positioned its brand using a unique and remarkable sound. The kind of sounds made by their cars are unique and serve as a remarkable identity for them.

Sound

Also, Volvo has positioned its brand using a unique and remarkable sound for their cars which they are now known for.

Sounds are remarkable elements for building a lasting and positive impression in the mind of the consumers.

6. Taste

Taste of a product has been used by different companies as a big part of elements to build their brands.

A unique kind of taste can be attributed to a particular product or company as part of its brand identity. Taste as a brand element is mostly adopted by hotels or companies that deal on eateries or eatables.

For example, companies like McDonald’s, KFC, Genesis, Kilimanjaro and more. They have built a brand by having a unique taste for their foods.
Recently, Dufil Prima foods in Nigeria positioned Indomie Noodles for a unique taste. For them, the taste is what differentiates their noodles from others.

Taste

Another typical example of taste as a brand element is Coca Cola company and their Coke product. Over the years, other products like Pepsi, Big Cola, RC and more have tried to compete with Coke. But Coke’s taste remains the difference.

7. Scent

Scent as an element of a brand comprises a unique aroma and fragrance. It is used to identify or differentiate a company or its products from others.

The use of scent or smell is part of the sensory branding. It has been adopted by companies like the Al Hilal Bank in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Hilal Bank used a scented credit card to position their brand in the mind of UAE women.

The bank produced a credit card that gives off a scent. The credit card named “Laha“, meaning “For Her”, releases a smell. This is done through an absorbent pad on its top right corner.

Scent

According to Mariam Yousef Ahli, the Al Hilal bank’s head of corporate communications. The scented credit card is positioned for women that love to express themselves. It also positions the company in favor of ladies that feel strong and productive.

“Al Hilal Bank’s Laha credit card is a unique form of expression for aspiring women that wish to make a difference. It is a reflection of Al Hilal Bank’s full support for women. Also for our passion for innovation and social responsibility.” Mariam Yousef Ahli.


Mariam Yousef Ahli.

In addition, Nigerians associated “OK products” with a specific kind of scent. Ok products are also called “Okirika Wake up” and they are identified with a unique scent.

People can easily tell you where the material is coming from by perceiving the “OK aroma”

These “OK aroma” are very obvious in their packaged shirts. The shirts come with a particular scent that also serves as brand identity.

Characteristics of Good Brand Elements

  • Memorable: Brand elements should be easily recalled and remembered when necessary. E.g a brand name as an element of a brand should be easily pronounced and stored in consumers’ primary memory.

  • Valuable: The elements of a brand should have positive connections with your products. It should have a sense of value or convey value. E.g. , color, and brand name should have a way of expressing what you do either directly or indirectly.
  • : The elements of your brand should be easy to register. It shouldn’t be troublesome when giving a legal back up. E.g. Your brand name should be words that are socially and legally accepted.
  • Transferable: Your brand elements should be easily transferred to another product item. It should be adaptable enough at all times.
  • Recognizable: A brand element should be attractive enough. It should have the ability to command attention.
  • Amenable: Your brand’s element should be flexible enough and easily amended or changed. Your brand logo and design should be something one can always tweak.
  • Legally Acceptable: The elements associated with your brand should be acceptable by law. Don’t just get a brand name with any word that comes to your mind and all designs as used as logos.

Final Note

There are lots of elements you can adopt to keep your brand unique and competitive. You need to know the elements that fit your marketing objectives.

Your business will have less meaning to consumers if there is nothing to identify it. especially as there lots of competing products, you need something that differentiates you.

For long organizations have used brand elements like such as color, name, tagline, etc.

These elements are used for identifying and differentiating their businesses from others.

However, there are numerous elements you can adopt to enhance and sustain the value of your brand. Such as color, tagline, and logo which enable people to identify your product at a spot.

Importantly, you need to be specific and consistent with the elements you have chosen. For example, you need to be specific with your color type to avoid confusing your customers.

I hope this article guides you in understanding what elements best fit your business? Let me know if there are other salient points missed out.