In recent years I have had the good fortune to work with several quite young companies, where the founder is still active and decisive in the choices. In many cases, the company is born and grows even before developing a real brand. It is in these cases that what I call “the founder’s effect” occurs.
The founder’s effect: how much should your brand look like you?
Matteo Modica
03.10.2018
4 MIN. READ
I refer to the effect that the human, character and ideological characteristics of the founder are transmitted almost automatically to the company he leads. An ambitious founder creates an ambitious company. An aesthetic founder creates an aesthetic company. It could not be otherwise. But what happens when the company decides to take care of its branding, i.e. to define its values and the image it wants to convey to the outside world by default?
In short: is it obvious that a brand should reflect the nature of the founder?
The answer, as often happens, is blurred. Certainly – and I say this from direct experience – the profile of the founder is a necessary and essential starting point, especially if the company has already registered “natural” successes before making real communication. In this case, in fact, we already know that customers and partners have recognized something positive and attractive in the founder’s attitude. An instinctive component that should not be overlooked, but rather cultivated.
Think about how much Richard Branson‘s profile matches Virgin‘s. Or how Steve Jobs identified with Apple and vice versa. This is all the more true if the founder also acts as a spokesman for the brand.
Having said that, however, brands are infinitely less complex than people and much more consistent.
A person can have contradictory traits in themselves. A brand can’t, because it would confuse the public. Not only: if a person can get stuck on his or her own way of being, a brand must be able to evolve according to needs and take into account external expectations.
For this reason, an honest branding process must be able to go beyond the founder’s imprinting, working according to these guidelines:
- CONSOLIDATING THE WINNING TRAITS which characteristics of the founder determined the success of the company in the first place?
- MINIMIZE IRRELEVANT TRAITS which founder characteristics could damage the brand?
- ANALYZE THE CONTEXT what does the public expect and how far can the brand be “bent” without making it a fake?
- EVALUATE THE EVOLUTION where does the brand want to go, so as not to stand still at the moment of foundation?
It is not an easy process: often the founder of a company has invested not only money but passion, hope and pride. Separating the brand from his “I” becomes, at that point, like letting a child go. Hard, but necessary.
That’s why I always recommend using analytical methods, which help to see beyond the most instinctive emotions and to strategically focus what we really want from our brand.
AUTHOR:
Matteo Modica —
Founder & Creative Director
A tireless purveyor of quality, Matteo manages every branding and communication project down to the details, leading creative teams to always express their best.
What makes a good brand story
Storytelling. Easier said than done. What does it mean for a brand to “have a good story”? And how do you build one?
READ MOREBranding across cultures: how to make it work (a true story)
As we get used to global brands, we tend to overlook the challenges of bringing a brand to a different culture from its own. Here are some pitfalls and solutions.
READ MOREHow relevant is your brand’s nationality?
In a global market, the national roots of a brand can add value. As long as you can leverage them in the right way.
READ MOREYour brand won’t work without a company culture
Companies are not black boxes, but entities that the world can see. What happens inside them contributes to defining their brand.
READ MOREHow to get a brand name right and survive
Naming a brand might be one of the most exciting journeys, but also one of the most distressing. Some advice to avoid it going downhill.
READ MOREHow do you create a luxury brand today?
As all brands struggle to understand the evolving customer, luxury brands have the most daunting task: ushering their intangible values into a new era.
READ MOREStrategy for jewelry brands: do you know your audience?
Jewelry customers differ wildly. Knowing who is going to buy your jewels makes all the difference for structuring your brand.
READ MOREHow do you design a logo for the luxury market?
Entering the luxury market is not an easy feat to accomplish for a brand. Attempting it with the wrong logo can be an utter disaster.
READ MOREHow to choose the best branding agency for your project
Creating a brand is such a sensitive matter, you will want to make sure you pick the right partner for the job. Here’s what to look for.
READ MOREHow to define a brand tone of voice you will actually use
Tone of voice is essential for your brand identity, but will you ever use that nice document or will it just sit somewhere on your hard disk?
READ MOREHow we created a boutique branding agency
Sublimio’s founder Matteo Modica shares his experience in starting and developing a boutique branding agency over the years.
READ MOREWhat can a boutique branding agency do for you?
Does branding require a large agency? Not really. Here is what brands can expect when working with a boutique.
READ MOREDo you have to redo the logo? How to write the brief for the designer
A complete briefing helps the designer to work better and faster, and the company to get the logo it had in mind. Here are 11 essential points.
READ MORENew logo vs. restyling: what is the best choice for a brand?
Like a custom-made suit, even a logo ages. And here the doubt often arises: change it completely or opt for a restyling?
READ MOREWhy doesn’t your brand work?
When a brand doesn’t work every communication initiative is accompanied by enormous efforts. Here are some possible causes (and solutions).
READ MOREShould luxury brands leave social networks?
A complete briefing helps the designer to work better and faster, and the company to get the logo it had in mind. Here are 11 essential points.
READ MOREWhen a professional works for free
Are there situations in which it is legitimate, permitted or simply reasonable to adapt one’s professionalism to the context?
READ MOREFive things I learned in 2018
Why are all fashion logos becoming the same?
Why fashion logos suddenly became identical? In my opinion, it’s not because of designers’ laziness.
READ MOREWill digital flatten the world of luxury?
Fashion brands now live on stories
Something is happening, in the fashion world and specifically in the fashion brand communication: from image, fashion is becoming a story.
READ MOREYou’re already doing personal branding (even if you don’t do anything)
Some of us believe in it, others despise it. But all of us are doing personal branding, constantly. We just don’t realize it.
READ MOREYou read what we think.
Now see what we can do.