This morning, our Managing Director, Barbara Pesel, co-presented “Building and Bolstering Your Brand” with Alana Long from Gadens law firm. A rare opportunity, attendees received insight on creating a brand from both the legal and communications perspectives. While these departments are stereotypically known to butt heads, it is integral for them to work together to build and protect a quality brand.
Alana, a member of the Gadens Intellectual Property and Technology team, works with clients to protect, commercialise and enforce their technology and intellectual property rights. She is responsible for helping businesses to maximise their legal position to thrive in competitive markets, both in Australia and overseas.
“Businesses need both marketers and lawyers when embarking on a new brand venture. There’s no point developing a creative brand that’s not legally robust, or a heavily protected brand that does not appeal to your market,” said Alana.
Drawing on more than two decades of experience building and protecting brands and their reputations, Barbara emphasised that a brand is more than a name or logo – it’s what creates meaning. She touched on ensuring all marketing communications is driven by the brand vision and the importance of understanding why your brand exists.
“It is the “DNA” that makes a brand unique, even when it’s selling similar or the same products as competitors.
“It’s one thing to create an attractive brand but it’s another to create a brand that resonates with your target market. Understanding audiences means understanding the tone and messages that appeal to them,” said Barbara.
Both sides agreed that getting the business fundamentals right, and involving both legal and communications from the outset, is a solid first step to achieving success.
The duo mentioned a branding workshop that would be announced in the coming weeks – make sure you are subscribed to our communications newsletter “47” for further announcements. You can join the mailing list by entering your email below.
