Branding is when a company creates a name, symbol, or design that is easily identifiable as belonging to that company. And it’s critical for businesses and organizations because it tells customers what the experience with the company will (or should) be. A strong branding program gives companies a competitive edge because it clarifies what makes them different and better than other companies. “A solid brand ultimately leads to increased awareness and sales and creates a favorable business environment,” Ward says. “Branding also provides clarity to company employees and helps them develop pride and satisfaction in their work.”

A brand is much more than a logo, color palette, or tagline, according to Kaylee Devine, an account planner with Spawn Ideas, which was named the 2018 Small Agency of the Year by Ad Age. A brand is a promise to customers, a promise of an experience. It’s the associations people think and make about a company, and creating those associations is important. “About 95 percent of our decisions are intuitive, so helping to create those strong brands helps you get to those associations faster,” Devine says.

However, the brand also must be very ownable, resonate with customers, and drive a company’s value propositions. There’s real weight behind a strong brand, Devine says. It’s not just a fluffy marketing strategy. “A powerful brand helps you drive longer business growth and minimize price sensitivity,” she explains.

Given the uniqueness of Alaska, there are marked differences between building a brand in Alaska versus other places. Ward sums it up this way: “Alaskans demand transparency and authenticity. It’s the reason voters are skeptical of politicians wearing shiny new Carhartts. If you’re going to succeed in Alaska business, it’s critical to understand the nuance of the market and avoid unforced errors. Consulting with Alaska-based professionals can help.”

She adds: “Of course, businesses nationwide are also expected to be authentic, but there’s more emphasis on being ‘one of us’ in Alaska than in other places. We’re provincial that way.”

Alaskans have a strong sense of pride, Devine says. And local companies tend to convey their “Alaskaness” prominently in their identity. However, they should be mindful that Alaska has a sizeable transient population. “We are always going to have a new batch of people who have come up from the Lower 48,” says Devine, whose Anchorage-based agency has hubs in Denver; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and Madison, Wisconsin. “So it’s important that those Alaska values translate to new residents. It’s making sure that their Alaskaness is extending a hand to people who are new to the state. You have to keep in mind that you’re going to be talking to potential customers who don’t know you from Adam.”

The state of Alaska carries a certain mystique that companies often promote when marketing their brands, says Debbie Reinwand, president and CEO of Brilliant Media Strategies, which is based in Anchorage and also works with firms outside Alaska. While Alaskans place a heavy emphasis on patronizing local businesses, a key difference between building a brand in Alaska and elsewhere comes down to money. Reinwand says: “We’ve done work for Outside firms a lot…We spend a fair amount of money trying to figure out what people responded to. Here in Alaska, you can build a heck of a brand for not very much money, compared to outside Alaska.”

Alaska’s small population has a distinct impact on the effort necessary for a business to maintain its brand. It makes relationship building and reputation management even more important in the marketplace. “When you’re in a major metropolitan area, there will be twenty-five dentists; up here we don’t have as many choices,” Reinwand says. “But people talk, so you need to make sure you do manage your reputation.”

Companies can get a sense of where their reputation stands by conducting reputational polling on an annual basis. Or they can do a less formal assessment by regularly reviewing the comments on their Facebook page. Then they can see where they need to make necessary tweaks to improve their brand image.

In the Alaska market, there are zero degrees of separation, Devine says. But whether companies are local or national, social media gives customers a greater ability to provide public feedback. So businesses should always be conscientious about how they conduct themselves. “It’s always really important for an Alaska brand to treat their customers—and employees—like neighbors because they really are,” she says.

The importance of reputation management and overall brand building cannot be overstated. In Alaska, people expect companies to operate on a personal level. National brands, Ward says, expecting a one-size-fits-all approach to work in Alaska usually figure out the error of their ways. She explains: “For example, Delta Airlines believed that simply by providing cheaper fares in and out of Juneau, they could eat into Alaska Airlines’ year-round market share. They underestimated the strength of Alaska’s brand in the state, particularly in Southeast. Despite cheaper fares, customers stuck with Alaska out of loyalty to the brand (and the mileage program, which contributes to the brand).”

Ward continues: “Alaska Airlines has also developed its brand in Alaska by being a visible community partner for decades, sponsoring hundreds of events across the state and providing excellent customer service. Saving customers a few bucks was not enough incentive for Alaska’s brand enthusiasts to switch carriers. As such, Alaska Airlines’ domination of the Alaska market continues.”

It can be challenging for companies to build and grow their brand in an environment in which consumers are bombarded with thousands of messages through traditional advertising and online media channels. But with the right strategies, companies can develop an ownable, valuable, and memorable brand position that can make its organization, products, and services resonate with target audiences.

When striving to build a strong brand, Ward says, companies need to decide exactly what they want that brand to be. It sounds simple, but it’s an important step that requires strategic planning. Then they need to check their desired brand attributes against reality. “An airline may want to be known as a reliable, on-time carrier and spend millions on ads claiming to be so, but if the customer experience doesn’t match the brand, it won’t work,” Ward says.

Once brand attributes are established, it’s critical that all internal and external communications match the brand. In Alaska, for example, if a company decides part of its brand is buying local, that company should hire Alaskans.

As part of their brand building strategy, Reinwand says, companies should have a solid theme that connects everything they do, including a recognizable logo and tagline. Then once those pieces are in place, businesses need to figure out what tactics to use to reinforce the brand. This will depend on what’s available to that particular niche or industry. Some companies may be able to benefit more from social media. Others may need to amplify their brand more through TV, print, advertising, or radio. Online and digital are also viable options. “We look at the right mix for what the client is trying to accomplish,” she says. “For example, I’m working with a smaller company, and we are using video and pushing them out on Facebook and elsewhere, and it’s more of a subtle effect.”

A well-established business might focus its branding efforts on doing more top-of-mind awareness and generating goodwill. For example, a company with significant longevity might opt to emphasize another aspect of its story to further solidify its brand. For instance, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) has been a top company in Alaska for decades, but many people didn’t know that it has government contracts and engages in a diversity of endeavors. So Brilliant Media Strategies employed an ad campaign to highlight the full breadth of ASRC’s activities, which encompass more than forty-five states. “We’re showing Alaskans that they are so much more than the company in Barrow and Anchorage,” she says.

GCI is a prime example of a local company that has excelled at branding itself for the Alaska market, according to Ward. Its slogan (“Alaska born and raised”) highlights the local ties that Alaskans prefer. “It’s also why, when you call their help desk for technical support, you are connected to a real human who lives here,” she says. “GCI also makes significant contributions to local charities and organizations like Covenant House, Special Olympics Alaska, and suicide prevention programs in rural Alaska. These actions, combined with consistent, sustained communications (TV and radio ads, social media posts, customer service experiences), all contribute to the brand.”

Whatever strategies companies choose to use to promote their brands, Devine says, they must have a strong foundation and consistency in their communication. They must make sure that their ultimate promise helps to build a strong foundation. And that foundation should involve the perspectives of the company, its competitors, and its customers.

From there, businesses can define their core identity and what they offer. Once that’s solidified, they need to ensure there’s consistency with their outward communication, including the use of their logo, fonts, tagline, and other elements. “That’s going to echo your brand voice,” Devine says. “It will also help you be more memorable, and customers will be more open to what you have to say.”

Companies should carefully ponder their options and not try to be all things to all people. They need to identify a brand promise that works for them—something they can uphold, live, and breathe every single day. They also must ensure employees understand what that promise is, so they can communicate it clearly to potential and existing customers.

When it comes to branding, the beauty for new companies is that they have a fresh start to make a first impression, Devine says. However, they need to make sure they can consistently deliver on what they promise customers. This will help them make a positive first impression and foster good word of mouth.

New businesses also need to ensure their brand is something obtainable, distinctive, and ownable so people can distinguish them from a competitor. And because they are just starting, they don’t have the equity built on their brand yet, so they need to make sure their communication style is clear. “You want to make sure you’re not veiling your product offering too much,” Devine says. “If it’s clearer, it’s more memorable. And if it’s more memorable, you have a better chance of accomplishing your brand goal.”

Today, it’s easier for a new business to begin building a brand without breaking the bank, Ward says. While traditional mediums like broadcast and print advertising remain important, a company can augment those efforts and develop its brand on any number of social media channels. For example, a strategic, creative, and consistent social media campaign is an excellent tool for new companies. Proactive earned media, the industry term for free news coverage, is also helpful in getting the word out and developing a brand. “Of course, the same is true of negative publicity damaging a brand, which is also why every major company or organization should have a crisis plan in place, or at least someone available to help them navigate a crisis,” she says. “It takes years to establish a brand [or reputation], but it can be lost overnight if a crisis is poorly managed.”

Owned media is another tool companies can use, especially those that struggle to tell their story in traditional mediums like the news media. An updated company website is critical and can be relatively inexpensive to maintain. Blog posts, employee profiles, and photo galleries are also relatively easy tools that provide the benefit of being within a company or organization’s control.

Reinwand suggests starting with a decent logo and tagline and then building from the ground up. The first step is always a well-thought-out plan and message. “Frankly, that’s where agencies can come in and be helpful,” she says.

In terms of brand building trends in Alaska, more companies are stressing corporate culture and what they stand for, Reinwand says. That’s exactly what her company did when it recently celebrated fifty years of service in Alaska. Brilliant Media Strategies created a new logo that hearkens back to its past and gave its employees branded jackets to celebrate the momentous occasion. “It’s a way to start at home first… to get your office and coworkers on the same team and instill that pride,” Reinwand says.

Building a brand, Devine says, is less about being trendy and more about adapting a brand’s identity for modern times. At Spawn Ideas, there’s a greater focus on content strategy and digital channels. “Tight content strategies and being more thoughtful about how you design experience is important,” she says.

Social media branding is an ever-increasing trend that will continue in 2020. Most customers are on social media, Ward says, so it’s important for companies to research which channels their current and prospective customers use. Then they should develop strategic and thoughtful plans for the channels that make the most sense and engage with customers that way. “It’s important to note that companies are better off doing a good job on fewer channels than a mediocre job on many channels,” she says. “In other words, pick a winner, and knock it out of the park.”

Connecting visually with customers and stakeholders also will be more important than ever in 2020. With social media platforms like Facebook changing their algorithm to prioritize family and friends’ posts instead of advertising, marketers must use visual assets to break through. “Short videos, infographics, and even webinars will perform better than traditional ads,” Ward says. “Of course, these visual elements must be compelling and match the overall brand. Creativity will be key.”