Studying each element of the Brand Identity Prism allows you to build a brand intentionally and systematically so that it accurately reflects the company’s image that you want to convey. Each element can be generally defined as follows:
- Physique: These are the fundamental physical and tangible aspects that differentiate your company’s products, such as their functional characteristics, colors, logo, and packaging. Being able to quickly identify a brand based on these elements is a good sign that it has a strong identity.
- Personality: A brand is personified through marketing materials and communications. The quality and feel of those communications reflect the type of personality consumers will come to associate with the brand.
- Culture: Tying the brand to a specific culture or geography, whether it is national or local, can help encourage loyalty and pride in the brand.
- Relationship: Fostering a connection between the brand and the consumer such that the consumer feels a relationship, or has an experience with the brand that is meaningful beyond the transaction alone, also creates ongoing brand loyalty.
- Reflection: The brand should reflect the profile of the target demographic so that consumers feel a natural fit between their lifestyle and the company’s image.
- Self-image: Associating with a brand through the purchasing of its products can reinforce one’s desired self-image as well as convey how one wants to be perceived by others.