1.2 Why Brand?

The simple answer is that brands shape consumer perceptions, which in turn shape demand. Brand-related intangibles like loyalty, associations, differentiation, and awareness in consumers’ minds affect how likely people are to buy from a business.

Promotional tactics may temporarily drive attention and purchasing, but effective branding generates lasting value in the form of customer loyalty, organic brand propagation, and price premiums. People have better recall for strong brands and are willing to pay more for them; businesses with strong brands also demonstrate more effective results for marketing programs.

While a brand is more than just a personality, brands are commonly anthropomorphized by customers. They see the brand as an entity embodying specific characteristics or traits and view a business’s decisions and actions as brand behaviors. Inconsistent personalities confuse, while distinct, positively perceived personalities boost loyalty and awareness. As experiential or service businesses have many points of interaction with their target audience beyond the product itself, it is crucial that business owners develop and implement consistent brands. Brand elements should be coherent, reinforcing each other, all in service of communicating your brand identity.

The process of defining (or redefining) your brand identity also pushes you to (re)consider the purpose and values of your business and helps you attract like-minded employees. Employees who resonate with and believe in your brand will in turn share their love of the brand with the consumers they interact with.

🍽️ How can a restaurant, cafe, or food truck be a distinct brand?

Every single point of contact someone has with your business speaks to who you are as a brand. Experiential and service-based businesses often have different dimensions of consumer-facing consideration - such as atmosphere - that traditional branding frameworks do not comprehensively cover. Thus, branding concepts are integrated with consumer behavior and multisensory perception research in this guidebook.

Well-known brand consultancy Red Antler noted that businesses need to communicate in a manner that’s meaningful to their consumers, adding value in a way that is specific to them and unique to their position. During the Covid-19 global pandemic, the number one way most food businesses add value to consumers’ lives has unfortunately been disturbed. This book helps you define your positioning and competitive advantage in a way that is relevant for the in-person service you provide but also empowers you to articulate a brand that is more than just the food you serve. It challenges you to examine your identity as a business and express that identity in a way that resonates with your core audience.

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1.3 Branding Myths⁠

to dispel before we dive into the process

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