A brand element is a logo, slogan, name, or design that’s used to give a brand an identity. Foster Farms uses the image of a rooster as their logo, the slogan “Always Natural. Always Fresh.”, and the word “Farms” in their name to indicate they’re not an industrial “chicken factory”.

If you’re creating a new brand (or trying to revitalize an old one), pick brand elements that consumers can instantly recognize and recall. It’s also a good idea to choose brand elements that are descriptive of the products under that brand. Ask yourself, “If the brand elements are all a consumer knows about my brand, how would they think or feel about the product?” Based solely on the name, a consumer might expect Avon’s Skin So Soft to soften their skin and Heineken’s Dos Equis to be a Mexican-style beer.

There are six core criteria you can use to evaluate potential brand elements:

1. Meaningful – Does the brand element suggest something about the type of person who might purchase the products? Is it suggestive of both the products and the category they belong to? Good examples are Nestle’s Lean Cuisine, FHP’s O’Cedar, and GSK’s Aquafresh. Read more…