To make your brand stand out in a saturated market, you need your brand identity to be differentiated. Consistency in brand identity will allow your brand to be easily identified and famously recognisable. Can you identify all the brands based on their descriptions below?
The
‘swoosh’.
The
bitten apple.
The
three stripes.
The
bright red uniform of a stewardess.
The
fat yellow man.
Not
to be confused with brand logo, brand identity consists of the visual aspects
that form and represent the overall brand, which includes brand names, brand
logos and brand elements. Brand elements consist of the brand colours, icons
and designs. Brand identity is made up of different visual items such as
corporate collaterals (brochures, books, websites, corporate profiles), stationery
(letterhead, business card, envelopes), signage (interior & exterior
design), messages (conveyed via direct or indirect medium of communication) and
anything visual that represents the brand.
BRAND REVIEW: Four Points by Sheraton
Brand Background
Four Points by Sheraton, owned by Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was previously a midscale hotel brand by Sheraton
Hotels and Resorts to replace Sheraton Inns. In 2000, the brand was
repositioned to its current upscale four-star status as a hotel chain for
business travelers and corporate meetings.
Brand
Name
The
name “Four Points by Sheraton” gives out a more down-to-earth vibe compared to
its more upscale and exclusive counterpart Sheraton. The brand name allows the
brand to communicate its four-star value to a larger group of target customers.
Four Points by Sheraton Brand Logo
Brand
Logo
The
colourful pinwheel brings out a playful aura to show that this hotel isn’t a
century-old, tacky building but is a contemporary hospitality service that goes
all out to fulfill its guests’ modern and practical needs, suitable for its
jet-setting business travelers.
Brand
Elements
Coherency
in the corporate colours dark blue, known as “Four Points Dark Wash” or dark brown, known as “Four Points Dark Taupe” throughout the hotel chain exterior signage gives
Four Points a solid brand identity that this hotel is hospitable yet serious in
giving impeccable hospitality service. The colours give a corporate feel to the
hotel, suitable for the most serious business guests.
Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is recognised as the hospitality
industry’s leading branding company and has its own design lab and brand
immersion centre based in Stamford, Connecticut.
Four Points by Sheraton was upgraded from midscale in
1995 to upscale in 2000. Thus, care must be taken so that the brand does not
lean too much at the higher end of luxury scale and appear too similar with the
other eight Starwood brands thus losing its appeal to its current customers.
Reference
