"Holistic": more than just a buzzword.
Holism has become a buzzword in many areas. This is also the case in branding and marketing, where the term does not describe a fad, but rather intelligent, planned and long-term brand development.
In brand management, "holistic" means that a brand is designed consistently and thoughtfully - in all its dimensions. This means that all relevant aspects - from brand strategy, design and touchpoints to communication and corporate culture - must be coordinated. For the respective target groups.
How is this strategic uniformity achieved?
The brand is based on a clear vision, mission and positioning and the various measures are aligned with the long-term goals of the brand. A visual consistency is also built on this, which makes the brand recognizable everywhere through the logo, colors, typography, imagery, animations, sound, materials and more. This brand presence is managed "holistically" in all channels (web, social media, print, advertising, branches, buildings, etc.) and the tonality of the language and messages matches the coordinated brand identity. The aim is for every point of contact with the brand to convey the same brand experience (holistic customer experience) - including via the product and service experience on site or digitally.
Last but not least, the brand is also lived internally - through the corporate culture and employee management: the brand's values and identity are reflected in the company's self-image and behavior. And this can only succeed if the corporate change is also anchored internally in all dimensions (a building block of the change process). In the long term, a uniform and holistically lived brand is perceived as more authentic, as consistency strengthens the identity and sets the brand apart from competitors.
All of this is work and means effort and capacity in brand management, which requires arguments, especially within the company. However, we often forget that holistic brand management primarily creates efficiency: clear guidelines and stringent implementation save time and resources in the medium term and, at best, create measurability.
