Embrosa Talks about 'What is Branding' with Branding Expert Silvie from Luidspreker

On the couch, next to Melanie, is Silvie from Luidspreker for this episode of Embrosa Talks. She is a branding specialist at the agency that gave Embrosa its striking rebrand. At Luidspreker everything revolves around the power of design: bringing out the unique strength of a company through communication.

As Silvie put it: “Branding is about how people view your brand”

Melanie talks with Silvie about what branding truly means. It often comes off as a buzzword, almost like “bullshit bingo.” That's why Melanie asks to make it concrete and understandable. Silvie replies, “Branding is a big word. Simply put, it's about how people perceive your brand.” Many immediately think of a logo, corporate identity, or colors, but there is so much more to it. It also involves the design language and the story that accompanies a brand. If you select a design language that is distinctive and well-suited to your target audience, people will recognize and remember your brand more quickly – and with a positive association.

Tip from Silvie: If you want to build a strong brand, start with the basics

Good branding requires attention to the basics. Start with a clear mission and vision, and determine what makes your company unique compared to the competition. This will form the basis of your positioning.

A good design agency captures this essence through colors, shapes, and emotions—like Lego bricks that create a complete image. You can explore as far as you wish: expressing your brand through photography, fonts, images, video, sound, and even scent. Silvie shares that the Efteling amusement park has its unique scent for each attraction, further enhancing the branding of that experience.

Silvie compares building a brand to building a pyramid: without a solid foundation, the whole thing collapses like a house of cards.

Hire an agency to help you with your branding

Melanie says she is very happy that they asked Luidspreker to help Embrosa with branding. Silvie indicates that it is important to get to know each other (brand—agency) very well. That is why Luidspreker also opts for very active co-creation. They want to make sure they fully understand the customer.

That is why Luidspreker first finds out why customers choose them and what appeals to them about their work. They then analyze with the customer which target group needs to be reached. Does the company want to appeal to a new target group by changing course, or is it time to modernize the brand and continue to appeal to the current target group?

Only when that is clear will Luidspreker start building the branding. Luidspreker always actively checks in with the customer to see whether they are on the right track. “We experienced this iterative co-creation as very pleasant,” says Melanie.

Branding is also essential for local shops and local businesses.

While branding is often seen as something for large corporations, it is just as essential for local entrepreneurs. If you are launching a new product or company, engaging a branding specialist early on is wise. Start by - with this specialist - to first get the basics completely clear: mission, vision, and a good understanding of your target group.

What makes your company unique compared to the competition? Once you know this, determine your positioning, and you can start designing a logo and an identity.

And you can add much more to the identity and storytelling. In this way, you build, as it were, a 'Lego box' of brand building blocks that give your brand a unique feeling and form the basis for further growth.

A mind you from Melanie: A branding process cannot be finalized within 2 weeks. Expect to spend a (half) year on it.

In January 2024, Embrosa knocked on Luidspreker's door. Melanie had known the owner Twan for some time, and the process started in April. The project lasted until the end of August 2024; then, the new branding was ready, but the website still had to be built.

Why does it sometimes take so long for a branding studio to deliver your new design? Silvie explains that it is mainly about getting to know each other. Working together on a new or renewed brand starts with a thorough introduction.

A continuous process of iteration follows this. During the collaboration with Luidspreker, regular interim meetings were held to check whether the correct direction was being followed. As trust grew, they expanded the branding step by step. Tip from Silvie: If you work with an agency, it is essential to make clear agreements upfront—ensure that designers do not just throw something over the fence.

Collaboration is especially important when rebranding an existing brand. Together, you determine which strong elements to keep and which to replace or adjust.

This collaboration is especially important during a rebranding. First, the branding experts at Luidspreker determine why a new look is necessary: Do you want to appeal to a different target audience, or is modernization required? What can remain, and what needs to be updated? This evaluation is crucial because you want to invest sustainably in a brand that you can use for years to come. Sometimes, it is wise to retain elements such as strong brand awareness, as long as customers remain positively engaged. Once you know what to discard and what to keep, you can continue to build your brand.

Good branding ensures that people can remember you better.

Silvie makes it clear in the interview that branding is a coherent whole involving a logo, colors, and the entire story surrounding it. This ensures that your brand is reliable and better remembered.

It is increasingly difficult to stand out in a world full of marketing expressions. Branding helps you to tailor your brand precisely to your customer and to respond to an untapped part of the market. This is how you ensure that people say: “I know this, this is interesting.” And then they choose you.

Branding is about building mnemonics: so they remember you.

With branding you actually build mnemonics (or hints) for consumers, so that they remember your company or product. In a store, these hints are reflected in posters, furniture, packaging and even the smell in the store. All these sensory stimuli complete the branding experience. Local entrepreneurs have a great advantage here: they can physically let customers smell and feel their products, so, Silvie advises, “definitely make use of that as a local entrepreneur”.

As a local entrepreneur or retailer, combining your branding with the branding of the brands you sell: how do you do that?

Combining your own branding with that of suppliers can sometimes be challenging for a store. Silvie emphasizes that local entrepreneurs need to understand that labels and brands put considerable time and effort into their positioning and branding. They conduct thorough research to carve out a unique space in people's minds for their brand. If you alter any aspect of their branding, such as cutting logos off photos, you undermine that hard work. Therefore, appreciate the quality of the tools you receive and seek permission if you have any uncertainties about how to present alongside a supplier's brand.

However, Melanie and Silvie discuss there must also be room for the local entrepreneur's branding. Look for practical solutions together. Melanie suggests, for example, placing marketing materials in the store and taking a photo of them (which you can then share on social media). This way, the supplier's material becomes part of your store, and both brands are harmoniously combined. This builds a great collaboration.

Silvie adds: “People think brands are important. They radiate quality and confidence. A brand has worked for a long time to get into customers' minds, so respect that.”

Silvie has a tip for trade marketers: use the moments of frustration as a learning moment

For trade marketers, it is a learning moment if marketing materials are not used optimally. It teaches you to be aware that other people, companies and departments (who have fewer design skills than you) must be able to use the materials. Sometimes they have to resize. Sometimes they want to integrate their own branding.

So as a trade marketer, make sure that your creations are easy to implement and that others can use them correctly. A very simple example: instead of TIF files, share beautiful JPEGs in various correct formats.

Most importantly: Don't fear branding, embrace it!

Silvie concludes, “Don't be afraid of branding. It often sounds more complicated than it is. Branding is about communicating, and it creates something unique. It makes the world more accessible, more beautiful, and more fun. Dare to experiment because that is how you make your brand truly distinctive.”

With this approach, you give your company – and that of your suppliers – a strong and recognizable image so that your customers not only see but also feel what makes your brand unique.