mads: a week of immersion in brand strategy

Together with mads, an international school for marketing, PR, and management, our ICU brand strategy agency team took over the mads media telegram channel for a week, immersing subscribers in the world of brand strategy.

We discussed the importance of image as a factor that directly influences brand perception. It shapes a company's identity, builds associations, and evokes audience emotions. For example, in our project developing a brand identity for EVO Real Estate Agency, the brand image reflects the synergy between engaged clients and realtors through visual elements like optical illusion and gradient.

Our primary goal as a brand strategy agency is to ensure that your audience and partners choose you over competitors. To achieve this, we outlined these essential brand-building steps:

1. — in-depth research;
2. — brand core creation;
3. — brand identity development;
4. — communication strategy design;
5. — brand guideline creation.

When creating a brand, our team aligns with an underlying archetype, imparting unique character to the brand. For instance, our branding project for the Institute of Psychoanalysis, WEIP, highlighted the «Sage» archetype in the brand's visual identity.

Alongside archetypes, metaphor plays a vital role in brand identity. It simplifies complex concepts through familiar imagery. We explained how to use metaphor in branding effectively:

1. Introduce metaphorical elements in logos, reflecting brand essence beyond direct associations.

2. Incorporate metaphor in naming, making it memorable and intriguing.

3. Create concise, powerful slogans embodying the brand’s core message.

4. Reflect metaphor in visual identity, including colors, fonts, and imagery, for unique brand recognition.

We illustrated this approach in our case for Milestone, with the «checkpoint chocolate bar» metaphor that linked IT and tourism.

In a live broadcast, we shared insights into storytelling’s power in brand strategy. Watch the recording here. Stories evoke emotions and shape brand perception in consumers’ minds, creating an exchange between product creators and audiences.

Finally, our project for Prezex condoms showcases emotional branding through unique packaging design. Inspired by the “invisible partner” concept, our team crafted packaging with soft colors, fine typography, and tactile surfaces to reflect the product range. This strategy builds a deep emotional connection with consumers on both visual and tactile levels.

To wrap up the week, we explored the topic of rebranding and how best to approach it. It’s essential to recognize that rebranding is driven not by fleeting trends but by an internal impulse that lays the foundation for future growth.

Having discussed how to build a brand and amplify it through emotional resonance, we moved on to strategies for promotion strategy.

We showcased interesting case studies where companies boosted their visibility through creative marketing approaches. For example, Heinz used situational marketing by featuring their products as characters from the highly anticipated summer movie: Deadpool and Wolverine.

We’re always excited to welcome creative and talented professionals interested in joining our team of branding experts. If you’d like to be part of our agency, please send your resume and portfolio to jo*@*cu.agency.

It was wonderful to receive feedback from the mads media audience. The week was rich with insights, and we’ll be back soon with fresh content and projects.

Learn more about our mads media takeover at the link provided.