With Christmas here again, I thought I’d share something I came across on a design blog I occasionally frequent called LogoDesignLove. It’s a cute take on the branding of Santa. It was done by The Bond Agency for Icon Magazine. According to the post, there was “a general feeling at the (Bond) office that it was time for Santa Claus to get his act together. Belief in Santa Claus is at an all-time low. Confused by the thousands of different Santas out there, children don’t know what to think. Bond gave him a facelift and a few new guidelines to help boost his credibility.”
Take a look at what they came up with. It certainly gave me a chuckle.
Whether you believe in Santa or not and whether you buy into his whole naughty or nice routine, you have to admit, the man with the white beard in the red suit from the north pole is a really strong brand. Everyone knows who he is and what he stands for. His values and passions are clear to us. And they are consistent. He is jolly, generous, hard-working and giving. Santa Claus is about the good in life.
However, as pointed out by Bond, he does have his credibility issues. I think Bond’s point is well taken. Santa is guilty of brand inconsistency as far as his image goes. The thought and message behind him is always the same but his look does seem to change from place to place.
Yes, times change and it’s important that a brand stays relevant, but once established, brands should only be tweaked slightly to maintain relevance. The basic characteristics and message behind a brand shouldn’t change. Consistency is how brands are built. Your customers can’t connect with your brand if it’s always changing. The message of who you are and what you stand for gets lost and a brand that’s always changing will never earn a customer’s trust.
Think about it this way. You meet Santa when you are a small child when you sit on his lap and rattle off your list of gifts that you want for Christmas. You are so excited and after receiving all those presents under the tree you can’t wait to go visit him again next year. However, you go to sit on his lap the following year and he looks completely different. You feel kind of duped and skeptical. You slowly become a non-believer.
Brands are built on consistency and they aren’t built overnight. Through years of consistent messaging, customers start to connect with brands and build relationships with them so you shouldn’t change just for the sake of changing. Santa may not be the world’s strongest brand but he is pretty close and very recognizable. And now, thanks to Bond, even more consistent.
So, as you build and nurture your brand, maybe you should take some tips from the man in the red suit. Stand out. Be consistent. Create an emotional connection. Remain visible to your target audience. And if you can have a jolly, ho-ho-ho attitude along the way, all the better!
Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
~ Bethany Howell, art director
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