Branding in 3D

by Jason Dreistadt | Sep 2, 2022 | Branding

A recent study said that 1000 selfies are posted to Instagram every 10 seconds. 93 million selfies are taken each day. The equivalent of 2,583,333 rolls of film. Film, to those not in the know, is where pictures used to come from. In the not too distant past, one would take a roll of pictures, go to a store, and wait several days before seeing if all of them turned out okay.

Today, we pose at just the right angle in just the right lighting … and well … that picture wasn’t quite right, so let’s take another one … oh wait, there was a bird in the background photobombing, so let’s take one more. Instantaneous feedback.

Let’s think back to pictures. Pictures are a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional experience. What you see around you can be encapsulated forever in two dimensions. But it’s never the same, is it? It evokes memories, maybe even smells, but it’s not the same thing as the live experience. How often have you found yourself videotaping a child’s school performance only to spend the time staring at your screen instead of looking up and experiencing what is directly in front of you.

All around us, 3D is becoming a phenomenon. 3D movies, which have been around in one form or another since 1915, have seen a resurgence in recent years. It has even infiltrated our home with 3D televisions. 3D printers can print a physical representation of a model created on a computer. Oculus devices are the rage in the gaming community.

In each of these instances, we have moved a two-dimensional experience into a three-dimensional interaction.

What does all of this have to do with branding? Everything! Branding in 3D can bring your brand to life! Let’s take a look at the 3 Ds of branding.

Definition.

The saying goes that if you don’t define your brand, your brand will define you. Branding happens all the time. The question becomes … is it intentional?

If a brand is not intentionally developed, it becomes subject to many external forces. Your brand will get determined without your involvement.

A clearly defined brand is key. Get down to the core DNA of your organization. What are its driving factors? What motivates you to get out of bed and go to work in the morning?

The key component to define a brand is to determine the brand’s essence. A brand’s essence is made up of four components:

Services (what you do)
Personality (what attributes define your services)
Distinctives (what you do differently from anyone else)
Benefits (what your audience receives as a result of what you do)

When these are defined, fleshed out, and agreed upon, the result is a Brand Promise—the one big thing that you want everyone to know and remember about your organization.

But defining the brand is only the first dimension.

Development.

Michael Eisner, former Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said that a brand is “the product of a thousand small gestures.”

This is so true. In order for others to truly see your brand come to life, it is crucial to develop all of those small gestures. We call them Branding Points—every place where there is contact with the world outside of your organization. When there is a disconnect with the branding points, brand confusion occurs.

When the message is off-brand from the definition, it is hard to determine which message is actually the right one. When it is hard to distinguish which is correct, the brand’s power and resonance ends up being diluted.

A brand must be developed from the inside out. If you develop the brand internally and get everyone in the organization on the same page … projecting the same brand message … every time, the brand will be established.

But it’s not just defining and developing the brand. There is a third dimension.

Determination.

Once a brand is defined and developed, it takes a great deal of determination to keep it going. At times, there will be distraction from the vision of the organization. Opportunities will arise that, while worthy, are not in line with the mission and vision of the organization.

You must be strong and stick with your Brand Essence. Stay with what is true to your calling.

Determination has three essential components. Consistency, Frequency, and Time.

Consistency is always saying the same thing. Frequency is saying the same thing often. Time is simply the repetition of being frequently consistent.

Advertising is everywhere … Major brands like Target, Coca-Cola, and Farmers® Insurance have so embraced the definition, development, and determination of their brand that they have become instantly recognizable.

Every organization has a brand. The more diluted the brand, the more two-dimensional it remains.

Infinity Concepts can help bring your brand back to life with high definition in three dimensions.
CLICK HERE or call us today at 724-733-1200.