One of the first practical lessons I received on branding came during my time at RTP: A new, avant-garde and controversial image had just been implemented, creating some buzz. Despite its divisive nature, it was widely accepted and filled us with pride.
Following this change, RTP organized a training session on corporate identity using the image of TVE as a “case study,” led by the image coordinator of that station. At that time, I wondered: What could TVE, with an almost unchanged image from 1962 to 2008, teach us?
The message was simple and unforgettable: it is more valuable to have a dated but consistent image than a fragmented avant-garde one.
It is still common today for companies to grow tired of their image’s appearance and feel the need to innovate in its representation on every new communication medium produced—advertising, fleet, stationery—forgetting the tedious “visual identity manuals” filled with rules and procedures that constrict their use.
While the image of institutions represents their values and ambitions, the subliminal communication of their consistency is crucial for their credibility.
Just as a politician who contradicts himself depending on his audience loses credibility, brands behave similarly. They must always represent themselves with the same values and maintain a coherent image, regardless of the communication front.
“The main challenge for brand management” in companies is maintaining the trust index, which implies fulfilling promises. The best and most successful brands are completely coherent. Every aspect of who they are and what they do reinforces everything else,” Olins wrote in “On Brand” – 2005.