What is corporate identity? Every company, corporation, or association, in order to convey a precise identity, must have a unique and coordinated image that expresses its reason for being and the spirit with which it presents itself. Corporate identity is important as it allows for easier recognition and remembrance by the public, building a solid relationship with them.
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The image that a company creates for its visitors should strive to differentiate itself as much as possible from its competitors. It is the driving force behind every marketing strategy. Within corporate identity, the core that gives rise to the company’s mission is identified. Corporate identity, in addition to the core, is constituted by the extended core, which relates to the reference world, engages with it, and evolves while remaining true to its core.
How to create corporate identity
In a time when we are constantly bombarded with advertisements and images, being able to rely on a strong corporate identity and image allows us to associate the company’s values with those of the customers. Corporate identity can autonomously convey the company’s values.
Developing a proper corporate identity means not forgetting certain aspects in order to create a successful brand.
- Design: in this phase, we need to put into practice all the creative work done over time. All ideas are born and take shape to communicate. It is in this phase that the company presents itself to everyone.
- Concept: in this crucial step, it is about self-recognition. Starting a construction that surpasses the imagination up to that moment.
- Feedback: people’s comments are always very important. What matters is the impression they will give us by offering a different perspective.
- Brainstorming: only a healthy dialogue and discussion among colleagues give a team the opportunity to create the best idea.
- Marketing: it is the ability to sell a product: such a vision is necessary in all phases of building the company’s identity. Marketing should be seen as the activity that allows us to sell a good.
- Integrated Communication: it is necessary to develop the right strategies to communicate the identity that has come to life in the previous phase. In this step, the network of contacts built up to that point is very important. The right external communication strategy aims to articulate the corporate identity to be conveyed from a multi-platform perspective (website, social media, graphics, events, public relations).
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How to make corporate identity known
There are different ways to spread corporate identity, let’s see what they are:
Communication
An unmistakable communication style serves to constantly consolidate the brand’s identity on all channels through which the company communicates, both internally and externally. Only if a company has a strong identity can it think of communicating it to consumers in the best possible way. All communication tools must be consistent with each other and able to convey the fundamental values that were initially decided to work on.
Brand identity
The brand identity is the system of meanings, values, and symbolic associations that carry promises to consumers. To create it, it is essential to understand the brand’s identity. Increasing a company’s brand’s chances of success means building a well-defined brand identity. How? Through specific colors, shapes, and correct graphic elements.
The way we create a specific graphic allows us to make those who follow us understand why we have decided to act in a certain way. 
In this phase, the most challenging part is envisioning beyond the product. Analyzing trends, defining your positioning, and having a clear understanding of the target audience are critical factors in building a branding.
Identifying the target is of utmost importance: a brand must absolutely refer to the target audience nowadays. Brands can be classified according to seven different perspectives:
- Brand as a product: this phase is characterized by the company’s activities;
- Brand as an organization: in this phase, the entrepreneurial strategy and institutional connotations are analyzed.
- Brand as a person: in this step, characteristics and associations that closely resemble human character are analyzed. Additionally, the relational aspects that emerge in customer management are taken into consideration.
- Brand as a symbol: this is the moment to reflect on corporate identity, including all symbols and communication codes that should be present in all interactions with the consumer. The objective is to make the brand more recognizable and easily memorable.
- Brand essence: in this step, the fundamental promise made to consumers is perceived. It reflects what the brand aims to represent.
- Core identity: it consists of the most significant brand connotations. They reflect the company’s mission and market strategy and are intended to remain unchanged.
- Extended identity: in this phase, the meaning of the brand identity is specified.
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What it takes for a winning corporate identity
Consistency: in this phase, all components must have and assume the same direction.
Recognizability: each company’s personality should be highlighted through images and advertising. Being different from others allows us to differentiate ourselves from competitors.
Familiarity: a typical consumer is more willing to purchase a particular product if the company embodies positive values.
But it doesn’t end there.
Corporate image
The corporate image is the visual image that people have of an organization. It can be conceived as the collection of perceptions and judgments formulated by individuals about the company. It is often identified as branding. Providing a coordinated image is essential. Around a symbol, a logo, you can create your own company by projecting towards expectations and desires. For a company that many may not know and from which they want to request a service, the first impression is fundamental.
This phase serves four main functions:
- ensures visibility and immediate recognition to the organization;
- makes a world of reference visible to an external audience through its signals and contributes to enhancing its image;
- transmits the visual-perceptive image of the organization, emphasizing its coherence;
- facilitates the identification of the internal target with the organization, promoting a sense of belonging.
Corporate communication
With advertising, a company has the opportunity to communicate its image. With corporate communication, therefore, there is the possibility to be noticed even better by constantly finding new opportunities. The web is also very important in this phase. Being found on social media gives consumers the opportunity to be directly involved in the company’s decision-making processes.
- Giving voice to employees: in this phase, a creative force can be discovered. Employees of the company have increasingly more power in decision-making and organizational processes.
- Refreshing and making the image more appealing: in this phase, the company must have a tone of voice and present content that is suitable for the context at hand.
- Greater availability of tools: having as many tools as possible available means being able to monitor business results more effectively.
Corporate behavior
The company, even before knowing itself, must be able to convey ideas, convey values, ideals; in this phase, it must have the ability to engage consumers. Therefore, one must ask oneself what our customer wants.
The difference between brand identity and brand image
The concept of identity must be distinguished from the associated image. In the former, efforts are made to ensure that the brand is perceived in the best possible way externally. In the latter, the emphasis must be placed on how consumers perceive the brand. Therefore, brand identity expresses the image that the company wants to project to consumers regarding itself and its products; brand image, on the other hand, is the reflection of the brand’s identity among the public and represents the message from the receiver’s perspective.
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Mi chiamo Arianna, sono di Milano e possiedo una laurea magistrale in lingue e letterature straniere ottenuta all’Università del Sacro Cuore. Ho studiato inglese e spagnolo, specializzandomi in Management Internazionale. Sono appassionata di Giappone, manga e anime, disegno e ho iniziato a praticare arti marziali all’età di 6 anni. Sono una persona dinamica ed entusiasta, ma allo stesso tempo precisa e puntuale. Lavoro nel campo della SEO da qualche anno e grazie alla formazione di Digital Coach sto approfondendo molti aspetti interessanti del Digital Marketing con lo scopo di crescere ulteriormente.
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