To maintain a competitive edge in an overcrowded market segment, Brands must remain ahead of the marketing curve to effectively ace the branding game. The more nuanced and innovative your branding strategy, the more the chances of your brand securing the pinnacle of success in the market. Keeping a close tab on the most trending ways to build your brand reputation can help ease this process. This is especially potent for the contemporary era when the market and customers are both trying to grapple with the changes introduced by the pandemic.
However, to thrive in this newly established equilibrium, it is important to acknowledge and holistically cognize the trends that are here to stay. Listed below are some of the most formidable branding trends that will dominate the commercial sphere in 2021:
- Stand for Something
This trend has emerged as one of the most notable and stable influences on the branding of enterprises. The trend of conscientious buying has risen over the course of the by-gone years. This has in turn resulted in a positive impact on the need for brands to embody a social message. Customer perceptions of a brand can be positively influenced if the brand can demonstrate transparency and social responsibility.
According to a recent survey, 62% of customers will base their purchase decisions on the ethical values and policy statement of a brand. Companies that may have neglected this arena from their marketing strategies must now work to incorporate it. Social relevancy is quickly becoming an important factor in determining if a brand will sink or swim among socially conscious consumers.
- Embrace the Shift in Customer Preferences
The pandemic has affected the way the market operates. It has left an indelible mark on the psyche of both the consumers and entrepreneurs. Hence it would be imprudent to strategize about branding trends without taking into consideration the altered consumer preferences. Most recent data from research studies suggest that as customers remain more or less home-bound, their preference for delivery items has increased manifold. They prefer brands that have well-developed and easy-to-navigate websites from where they can simply order products or services will just a single click.
Thus, for branding your firm in such a scenario, it is advisable that you work to augment your presence on the web. If you offer services like yoga, try to have virtual sessions for your clients. Moreover, invest in creating a formidable website, as it’s the first access point for a majority of customers searching for your brand.
- Authenticity and Transparency
Originality will be the key to creating a formidable brand in the market in 2021. Brands that take responsibility for their products and services will flourish in this new normal. To do so, they have to embody values that resemble the humane side of their avowed missions.
To ace these trends brands can reassess their returns and refund policy, they can work to enhance their corporate social responsibility strategy, remove any additional hidden charges on checkout, etc. Brands can also deliver a personalized message of hope and resilience to their customers in these trying times. They can demonstrate their supportive spirit by these gestures that in turn boost brand loyalty.
- Bold is the Way to Go
When ideating a graphics strategy, brands can go with the bold trend that is making a comeback this year. Muted hues are no longer the dominant trend. Do not shy away from bold colors and designs. Invest in designing unique symbols and signs that come to be correlated with your brand image.
Brands can also use quirky artwork to attract clients. Similarly, geometric shapes are also part of a growing branding trend. Create branding symbols by incorporating these shapes and unique brand colors to enhance your recall value. By implementing these visually compelling elements of branding, any enterprise can conquer new feats of success.
- Incorporate Tech
The technological boom has served as one of the most important changes in the course of the by-gone decades. Incorporate the boons of this technical revolution into your branding strategy. By using chatbots and AI-empowered tools, brands can significantly increase their engagement levels with clients.
Since these methods of engagement are automated, each customer query or comment will be automatically responded to by the chatbot. This helps in enhancing the brand’s service provision repertoire and augments the possibility of increasing brand loyalty. Moreover, gamified approach to the entire process of engagement is enabled by technologically adept tools. Brands can use these to help customers interact with their page or website. This may also include games, lucky draws, quizzes, etc.
- Motion and Responsive Logos
Another fun and upbeat way of branding your enterprise is through the use of UX/UI design tools that infuse a whole new dimension to the realm of customer experiences. Moving content is more prone to boosting engagement than static ones. Motion sensor logos fall into a trend category that has revolutionized the branding arena.
Interactive marketing strategies like responsive logos help create a unique place for your brand in the minds of the clients. They help communicate the visual identity of your brand. These logos are essentially shape-shifting and can accommodate themselves in any space and theme mode. They help companies capitalize on their brand recognition and create a new sense of familiarity.
Branding trends constantly change with the changing market landscape and customer behavior. Evolution is the only constant for these trends. However, in order to succeed in a competitive market environment, companies have to embody these trends and ace their implementation. In the current scenario, the trends listed above will help firms becoming branding prodigies in 2021.