Review other brands

Take a look at some brands you believe in — big ones and small ones. Start to notice the ways they create continuity between packaging, marketing, website, and promotional materials.

• Listen closely to how these brands convey their message to consumers.

• Learn the subtleties and the details in their products, packaging, and their promotions.

• Look at all the ways you interact with the brand in the store, online, and in your home. Consider the energy and dollars that go into creating those touch points.

Think of the brand touch points

Now erase those elements and think of those brands without those touch points. Would your experience and/or your perception of the product or company be the same without them? What would be left of the product stripped of its package, website, logo? If the answer is not much, then you've made a case for what branding is and why investing in it is important.