By Vin Ferrer / Social Media Strategist, NJ Marketing Agency, Graphic D-Signs, Inc.
You see it everywhere: at the
supermarket, in the media, and especially in business.
Imitation.
Allegedly the sincerest form of flattery, imitation is
better defined in business terms as the polar opposite of innovation and the
definitive deal-breaker for attracting prospects.
When it comes to the look and feel of a brand’s image – the
entire point is differentiation. In this
age of sensory overload, your brand needs to stand out and stick in the minds
of your target consumers. You want to ensure that you are the clear and
decisive favorite, the industry standard, and the emerging legend. Our society’s
insatiable need for top ten lists, best-in-show awards,
and unforgettable experiences is a testament to how important this really is.
Original v. Conventional
No one wants to pay for an average or ordinary service. In
fact, consumers will go out of their way to inform others against falling into
the same trap in the event they do. So your brand must rise above.
That means innovation, novelty, and newness. The best way to
do this is through your brand’s image. It’s the first interaction any potential
consumer is going to have with your product or service, and it needs to be on
point.
Take a moment and recognize the brands you know and love. In
most every case, your affinity for each brand started with a promise made by
their image—a
logo, website
design, or themed
advertisement. It captivated you, impressed you, or maybe even peaked your
interest. The bottom line: it promised a quality experience to follow, and it
got you hooked.
The Road Less Traveled
When it comes to your brand’s image, the only thing that mimicking
an already thriving company’s image accomplishes is setback. People always try
to duplicate a proven method, but a petty copy/paste job for your brand’s image
is more like shooting yourself in the foot. Using a replication of an already
existing image for your own business communicates dishonesty, artificialness,
and inferiority.
Our agency has experienced a number of instances in which
other companies appeared to have near carbon copies of logos, images, and designs we
worked hard to create for our clients. While small business owners may not
be aware of the shortcuts a hired designer took to create their brand’s image,
such will not excuse them from potentially being brought in to a costly trademark
infringement case.
Our interconnected world and the competitive nature of consumers
and businesses alike do everything to ensure that falsities in the public eye
are realized and dealt with accordingly. Businesses need to recognize the
expensive legal implications that exist when intellectual property is sampled
or stolen.
Moreover, it puts a serious blow to your brand’s integrity,
which in many cases can be fatal.
A Much Needed New Path
Repeatedly seeing the spitting image of the work we do for
our clients is off-putting, but assuring. We are continually working to raise the
bar for our craft and quality, and there’s bound to be some competitors who
overstep the boundaries of flattery when they see
spectacular design.
Public relation faux pas can be addressed. Unhappy customers
can be appeased. But a lackluster brand image is something that requires much
more legwork. Now more than ever, businesses must compete strenuously to gain,
engage, and maintain their target market’s attention. Any inkling of
averageness only makes it easier for consumers to remove your brand from the
equation.
Thankfully admitting you have a problem is the first step to
recovery. Investing in your
brand’s identity, image, and upkeep is critical to realizing the breadth of
your potential.
Due to pending litigation,
we are not able to provide examples of our work being sampled.
