You Don’t Have a Marketing Problem. You Have a Clarity Problem.

Treefrog Editorial Team / April 1, 2026

The short answer: If marketing isn’t working, the problem is usually clarity, not the channel, agency or budget. Blurry positioning, an untested offer, a sales story that contradicts the website or a vague target customer can’t be fixed with more spend, because spend only amplifies the blur. Fix clarity upstream first and the marketing gets easier almost immediately.

When marketing isn’t working, the diagnosis usually comes fast. Wrong channel. Wrong agency. Not enough budget. Need better creative. Need more content. Need someone who actually understands our industry.

Sometimes those are the right answers. More often, they’re the comfortable ones, because they keep the problem outside the building. They point at vendors and platforms and tactics. They don’t point at the thing that’s actually harder to fix. The reality is, most marketing problems aren’t marketing problems. They’re clarity problems wearing marketing’s clothes.

The Clarity Problem: Blurry Foundations

The positioning that’s never been written down, only felt. The offer that made sense when you built it but hasn’t been stress-tested against what the market actually wants. The sales story that grew organically over years of pitches and proposals, and now contradicts what the website says. The target customer that’s technically defined but really just means “anyone who could buy from us.”

When these things are blurry, no amount of money fixes it. You’re just amplifying the blur. More people see something that doesn’t quite land. The channel gets blamed. The agency gets replaced. The blur remains. So let’s try turning this problem on it’s head.

The Key Question

Instead of asking “how do we get better marketing?” ask “what would make all our marketing irrelevant?” Sit with that for a minute. If your best customer already knew exactly what you did, why it mattered to them specifically, and why you over everyone else, would they need to see another ad? Another post? Another email sequence? No. They’d just call.

The answer to that question, what would make marketing irrelevant, is almost always a clarity problem. A positioning that’s unmistakable. An offer that’s precise enough to be obviously right for the right person and obviously wrong for the wrong one. A reputation that precedes the conversation. Those things make marketing easier, not unnecessary. But they have to exist first.

The Two-Sentence Test

Here’s the test. Try to write, in two sentences, exactly who you help and what changes for them after you do. Not your services. Not your process. What actually changes. If it takes twenty minutes and three drafts, that’s the problem. Not the campaign.

Clarity is the Breakthrough

The businesses I’ve watched break through a marketing plateau almost never did it by changing their marketing. They did it by getting clearer on something upstream. The customer. The offer. The reason someone chooses them over the obvious alternative. Once that sharpened, the marketing got easier almost immediately. Because now there’s something real to say.

Clarity isn’t a marketing exercise. It’s a business exercise. It just shows up first in the marketing.

If the two-sentence test just gave you trouble, that’s where we start. Let’s talk.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if I have a clarity problem instead of a marketing problem?

Try the two-sentence test: write exactly who you help and what changes for them after you do. Not your services or your process, what actually changes. If it takes twenty minutes and three drafts, the problem is clarity, not the campaign.

Why doesn’t a bigger marketing budget fix it?

When positioning, the offer or the target customer is blurry, more spend just amplifies the blur. More people see a message that doesn’t quite land, the channel gets blamed, the agency gets replaced and the blur remains.

What does marketing clarity look like in practice?

An unmistakable position, an offer precise enough to be obviously right for the right buyer and obviously wrong for the wrong one, a sales story that matches the website, and a reputation that precedes the conversation.

Is clarity a marketing exercise?

No. It is a business exercise that shows up first in the marketing. Companies that break through a plateau usually get clearer on the customer, the offer and why buyers choose them, and the marketing follows.

Brand Strategy

Brand Identity: More Than Skin-Deep

Treefrog Editorial Team / May 31, 2021

Brand Identity Design

It’s tempting to think that (successful) brands are only skin-deep. After all, aren’t colours and logos important? Visual branding is essential, but the ultimate goal is to establish a strong brand identity, combining both Branding Elements (logos, colours, shapes, imagery) and a Brand Persona (values, ethos, personality and traits).

While most brands have a handle on basic branding, few brands can claim they have an ‘identity without a Brand Persona. A Brand Persona is what ‘humanizes’ a brand, making it primed to interact with us on a deeper, intellectual and emotional level. Just like it sounds, a Brand Persona is not dissimilar to a person, having a unique ideology, character traits, values, ethos and culture. These aspects make it possible to develop a more profound emotional experience and build a relationship – potentially lasting a lifetime.

As humans, our lives and our relationships are incredibly diverse and complex. At a basic level, though, Maslov described that all humans have the exact fundamental physical and emotional needs to fill. These needs are “physiological,” “safety,” “belonging,” “esteem,” and “self-actualization.” They directly influence our behaviours, manifesting as desires, impulses and decisions. We never make a decision that is not linked in some way back to one of these core needs. We might not always be aware of this, but brands knowingly work hard to leverage this fact and use our emotions – as a gateway to selling us things. Targeting certain desired emotions has long been the specialty of good branding. It was initially used to reduce our anxiety about making buying decisions (thus leading to more significant profit for those companies who branded their products). Branding today still offers to show us what feelings or experiences we can expect: to feel happy, imaginative, loved, sexy, in control, witty, healthy, secure, prepared, strong, etc.

Brand Personas emerged to take things a step further by looking to our rational brain and psychology. They are designed to reach our deepest intellectual thoughts, principles, judgements and beliefs. To illustrate this, consider for a moment that on an interpersonal level, we will rarely develop a connection with people that we find nothing in common with; yet as soon as we discover common ground on something, we feel closer to them and take a greater interest in them.

This concept underpins the development of a Brand “Tribe”; defined as a group of people who align themselves with a Brand Identity as a true reflection
of themselves. Psychologically speaking, Brand Identities are fully developed in mind, just like people. These brands exhibit a detailed ideology and philosophy – they share a world perspective, outlining their values, speaking in a unique voice and showing off their personality. This level of complexity naturally mirrors the complexities we hold within ourselves, both attracting us and deepening our connection.

This is both how and why strong Brand Identities shape our lives, our experiences and eventually come to receive mass-market traction across the world. Far from being a negative situation, the inherent potential for brand identities to positively influence people’s lives and bring commonalities (bridging divides) gives designers around the world their hope and challenge for the future.

Branding Experts

Are you ready to strengthen your brand and build your business? At Treefrog, we can help you develop your brand strategy. Whether it’s logo design, logo maturation, corporate identity or graphic design services, we’re your business branding experts.

Give us a call at 905-836-4442; our team of branding experts are ready to help!

Brand Strategy

A Brand Is Just a Logo, Right? Think Again

Treefrog Editorial Team / May 12, 2021

So you think you know Branding?

Today, it’s common to think of a “brand” as another word for a logo; after all, many people believe that branding is a term coined from branded livestock on cattle farms. However, the real history of branding goes back much further. The recorded practice of branding began as early as the Babylonian era when leaving a mark on an object was meant to signify ownership or a legacy of that property. It was a way of safeguarding its use against others. The actual term ‘brand’ used today was developed with a new desired purpose. Our intention now is to put a ‘reputation’ onto something for it to be sought-out and ideally stand out from its competitors.

Suppose modern branding aims to suggest a reputation. In that case, the psychology of modern branding is to help quell the anxiety of the consumer. Let’s consider how many choices we face in our daily lives. We can appreciate how this bombardment might affect how easy it is to make decisions.

Despite our vast technological advances and our ever-increasing knowledge, our brains’ decisions are still based upon a reptilian system rooted in a fight or flight mode. What we rationalize in front of us is not the same as what we perceive in this part of our brain, which is why not having a straightforward or easy choice can often make us feel uneasy and exhausted.

Understanding and working around this dilemma is what branding does best. Using visuals to tell an audience what to expect and what desired experience they will have even before their choice is made.

At the end of it all, the uncomfortable truth about branding is that it’s never in the hands of the makers. Those who decide what kind of brand is formed are actually the consumers; it is in their minds where a brand reputation is actually created and propagated.

Since the consumer gets to decide whether the brand reputation has true merit or not, branding must balance what is true and idealized. The promise vis-a-vie the packaging or other touch-points and interactions must all be delivered upon. This is how the brand earns its ‘reputation,’ albeit a positive or negative one. It is vitally important that every business understands that their brand is constantly being branded, either for better or worse. Although it is put out by companies, it is ultimately cemented by the experience of the customer.

Where art thou, logo?

Where does a logo fit in the experience of branding, and how important is it really? If we can think of branding like a person (we are all our own personal brand already). In that case, a logo is its face, a means of recognizing and remembering a unique identity and experience among the crowd. At its core, a logo’s purpose is to take a complex emotional experience across many different interactions and to distill it into something simple and easy to remember, like a single name and/or shape.

Business Branding Experts

Are you ready to strengthen your brand and build your business? At Treefrog, we take a top-down approach to helping you develop your brand strategy. Whether it’s logo design, logo maturation, corporate identity or graphic design services, we’re your business branding experts.

Give us a call at 905-836-4442; our team of graphic design and branding experts are ready to help!

Brand Strategy

Four Signs Your Company Needs a Rebrand

Treefrog Editorial Team / February 24, 2021

All companies go through periods of growth, and in these growth stages, not every brand can endure the growing pains that may or may not require changes to your brand. Many companies believe that a brand is just your name and logo when in reality, it’s so much more than that, it’s your entire brand identity.

This is why many companies put off rebranding their business. However, by rebranding sooner rather than later, you can save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run. If you’re unsure whether or not you should rebrand, we’ve compiled a list of sure signs it’s time to rebrand. Keep in mind that just by searching for this blog, you already might know the answer you’re looking for.

1. It’s Been More Than Five Years Since You Branded

When was the last time you branded or rebranded your company? If you can’t remember, it’s probably time to start considering a rebrand. A lot can change in a year, which means your brand is becoming more outdated and irrelevant with each passing year. Remember, branding is not all about mood boards and logos, it’s also about your buyer personas. So rebranding is critical to keep updated with your brand’s aspects, not just your design elements.

2. Your Company is Switching Gears

If your company is beginning to expand into other markets or switching gears entirely, it’s time to consider a rebrand. The rebranding will help your new target market resonate and relate to your brand. Consider this; you’re a jewelry business. Suddenly you decided to expand into clothing. Your current brand might not reflect this new aspect of your business. If that’s the case, it’s likely time that you begin the process of rebranding.

3. Poor Reputation

All companies can go through a period of negative reputation, and some companies come out of it more robust. In contrast, others can feel the effects for years to come. If you’re still feeling the results of a poor reputation that you can’t shake, it’s time for a rebrand. Rebranding your company can help consumers see you in a positive light, especially if it’s done correctly.

Image source: https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/aunt-jemima-new-name-pearl-milling-company/

4. Competitors are Starting to Look the Same

The Red Ocean is a huge problem with companies today. Suppose your company has a generic logo, name and brand colours. In that case, you’re not standing out, you’re blending in, and its negativity is affecting your brand. The quickest way to stand out and start rebuilding is an overhaul and rebrand of your business. This will help you showcase why your company is different and better from your competitors.

Business Branding Experts

Give us a call at 905-836-4442; our team of graphic design and branding experts are ready to help!

Brand Strategy

Personas let you get Personal with Your Customers

Treefrog Editorial Team / November 30, 2020

Whether you’re starting a new business or have been in the business world for years, you’ve likely heard the term “buyer persona” at one point or time. Though, what exactly is buyer personas, and why is it so critical for your business?

We’re going to unpack that in this blog and explain why it’s critical to create and understand these personas.

What is a Buyer Persona

The term persona derives from Latin and originally referred to a theatrical mask. Actors wore masks to assume a persona or character. Think of the classic comedy and tragedy masks we still see in reference to the theatre today.

In the marketing world, personas are in-depth profiles of a brand’s target consumers. Rather than create a false identity, marketing personas seek to show the most realistic portrait of a consumer possible as a means of better understanding their needs and the best way to communicate with them.

Most brands will have more than one consumer persona because different individuals may support the brand, while others may heavily influence consumers, and these influencers need personas as well. For example, a typical business-to-business sales process might include the H.R. Director endorsing a product to the V.P. of H.R., who in turn seeks the approval of the V.P. of finance, who then seeks the approval of the CEO. Each of these individuals will have different needs for the product based on their position, and it is essential to understand how each will respond to the brand proposition. That is why personas are as relevant to B2B brands as those selling to the general public.

How are Buyer Personas Used

Personas are not new to the marketing world. In the beginnings of modern marketing in the 1960s (think Madmen), ad agencies used to write in-depth target customers’ profiles, giving them names and families and backstories.

Today, however, personas are even more critical because they have empowered consumers and democratized marketing. Brands now engage in conversations with their customers and prospects via digital and social platforms in addition to traditional media.

In life, we tailor our conversation based on what we know of the individual we are addressing; we talk to our Mom differently than our best friend. The same is true in marketing. We need to tailor our message to suit the audience, and as previously noted, a brand may have several audiences. This is not to suggest that a brand should be inconsistent in its approach. A brand, like a human being, communicates based on a set of characteristics and values. You will tell Mom you love wine just as you will tell your best friend. You will express it differently to each.

Why Buyer Personas are Important

1. Personas will help you narrow down your target audience

2. Buyer personas will help to determine the strategic decisions you make

Buyer personas will help to determine the strategic decisions you make. You will know how your personas will react to marketing campaigns, how to best deliver information to them and what type of content is most valuable to them. A persona takes away the guesswork when it comes to your marketing activities.

3. Insight into Audience Behaviour

Buyer personas are critical to your business, as they’re the guiding force on how to market your business to your target audience. They’ll give you insight into how your target market thinks. Thus, helping you to tailor messages to your specific target audience. It should be noted that buyer personas are a constant work in progress and should be updated frequently. As your target audience grows and changes, your buyer personas should as well.

Conclusion

Buyer personas are in-depth profiles of a brand’s target consumers. They’re critical to your business and your efforts to attract and retain customers. For your business to grow and succeed, you need buyer personas.

Buyer Persona Experts

Are you ready to strengthen your brand and build your business? At Treefrog, we take a top-down approach to helping you develop your brand strategy. Contact us today to learn more about our branding services or get an instant brand quote.

Brand Strategy

The Power Of A Strong Brand

Treefrog Editorial Team / November 20, 2019

A brand is a promise.

Every business wants to connect, to make an impact, and to grow. To do so, a brand must be so closely identified with the industry’s defining characteristic that they become known for it.

There is a very precise science to creating a strong brand and maintaining that strength. As humans, we are bombarded with so many stimuli every second that our brain creates a filter – known as sensory gating – to only take in the information that is deemed valuable. This may seem like an exaggerated statement at first, but think about your morning routine today. You most likely turned off the alarm on your phone, scrolled through social media, showered, ate breakfast, and drove to work. In every single one of these steps, despite your brain’s best efforts to block out all the promotional noise, your choices were affected by the power of strong brands.

So how do you ensure that your brand gets through the filter?

5 Basic Branding Barriers

A strong brand must satisfy the needs and wants of the target audience to last through the ages. Consider the list of characteristics below and see how many boxes your brand checks:

Emotive: consumers today are more driven by emotion than necessity, and a brand is the visual conveyance of a feeling that is most closely related to the target audience’s decision-making process.
Memorable: 50 per cent of consumers are more likely to click on a particular brand name if that brand name shows up more than once in a search engine. A strong SEO presence is essential.
Identifiable: a brand should be visually appealing and streamlined across all platforms. A simple yet powerful logo design can help with this.
Accessible: even with a brick and mortar storefront, studies show that 82 per cent of consumers will use their phone to help them make an in-store purchase. Without a digital presence, a brand will suffer.
Results-Driven: consumers will not return to a brand that has let them down in the past. Your clients’ success is your success.

The need to get past these “barriers” is what makes graphic design so important. At Treefrog, we have spent years studying the exact science of what makes or breaks a brand. The business world looks very different today than it did 20 years ago. Before digital marketing was ever an option – or even existed – companies were built on recommendations from friends and family. Now, this word-of-mouth has gone digital, and instead of close relations, consumers can get recommendations from millions of people at the click of a button.

Building Brand Recognition

Consumers are far more likely to choose a brand that they recognize over something unfamiliar, even if they don’t know a great deal about the company at the time. This means that even if a consumer has not made up their mind about a brand – and 90 per cent of searchers fall into this category – they are more likely to use a business simply because they know it. Consider the following benefits that come from a powerful, easily recognized brand:

Customer recognition
Competitive edge in the market
Easy introduction of new products
Customer loyalty and shared values
Enhanced credibility

Business Branding Experts

Give us a call at 905-836-4442; our team of graphic design and branding experts are ready to help!

Brand Strategy

Why The Frogs Are Green

Treefrog Editorial Team / June 5, 2019

Here at Treefrog, we like to look at the bigger picture. Instead of thinking about the here and now, we see far into the future and understand that the decisions we make today, can greatly impact the next generation of Frogs.

We must share our beautiful world with everyone, and everything that resides here. While we might only live in a small pond we’ve found that a few simple changes can make a BIG difference.

At Treefrog, we are constantly looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

Here are a few little changes that have made a big impact:

We Are Paperless

Saving trees starts with ditching paper. Once upon a time our entire project management office was run from coloured folders and stapled dockets. Moving the team away from the colour folder project system and into project management software was no small task. Our design team moved from sketchbooks and carbon pencils to a Wacom for digital mind mapping. Our Sales team moved to virtual notes directly in our CRM software (Salesforce), ditching the spiral Hilroy’s. Our cleaning team moved from paper towels to washable cloths, and we changed our washrooms to compostable towels.

The production and distribution of paper has a significant impact on the environment. Paper production poses issues on air, water and land. And as frogs, we dislike when deforestation destroys our homes. So we ask… why use paper when we have a virtual environment that can help us produce and deliver documents? And who likes paper cuts anyways? We do not.

We Started a Recycle and Compost Program

When we made the move from 12 Vincent to 567 Davis, we didn’t realize this change would mean giving up the ability to recycle and compost as we moved from a zoned-commercial/residential location to a pure commercial location. Unfortunately, the Town of Newmarket doesn’t offer pick up service for businesses.

We were faced with an issue of how to maintain our recycling and composting habits – since throwing out cans just didn’t seem like an option for the frogs. For the first few months, frogs would boomerang their lunches until we were able to convince the town to offer us curbside services too.

As Bill Nye the Science Guy would say: “To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash.” But, this was not enough.

The frogs lobbied for these services, and won! We are one of the only businesses in Newmarket with this opportunity, so we do our very best to ensure we are properly recycling and composting.

We Smart Commute

Commuting to work sucks. Especially when you are stuck sitting in traffic. And hello, the prices of gas are crazy! Speaking of gas, it is extremely harmful to our planet.

That is why Treefrog has implemented a Smart Commute Program. Before Smart Commute opened its doors to under 50 employee employers, we offered our Frogs cash bonuses when they choose to smart commute. This included carpooling, taking public transportation, walking to work (some frogs prefer hopping), or even skipping the drive and working from home¹.

We Buy and Grow Locally

You can catch flies with honey. And frogs love flies. So, we go through lots of honey. However, we only buy locally sourced honey for our office. There are many environmental benefits in supporting local honey farmers. Farm-raised bees help to pollinate plants, which is beneficial to local wildlife. In addition, buying local supports honey farmers who are properly caring for and raising the endangered bees.

We also love to grow fruits and vegetables in our Treefrog garden. While having a garden may seem like a small impact, it has huge environmental benefits. Growing your own food can reduce carbon emission and waste. Food travels long distances to arrive at the grocery store, on average it takes over 1500 miles of travel before the fruits and veggies we love get placed in our carts. In addition, growing food can reduce waste as it eliminates the need for packaging such as plastic and cardboard. So, if you are ever passing Davis Drive in the summer, feel free to enjoy a tomato (or two) from our garden².

We Only Drive Electric

Our Frogs are always on the go, whether we have a meeting with a client, a networking event or one of us is speaking at a workshop or conference; we have an electric car that will get us where we need to go. We invested in two fully electric cars to reduce our carbon footprint and protect our planet. While this might require some extra planning on our part when navigating to and fro, it’s worth the effort knowing that in the last five years we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 130,000 km through the use of electric vehicles.

Vehicles that run on gas emit toxic greenhouse gases into the environment and pollute our air. Greenhouse gas emissions are the leading cause of climate change.

We Made Small Changes Around the Office

Change starts with the low hanging fruit, and at Treefrog, those are the simple things like batteries and lights.

As a digital marketing agency, it’s no surprise that we go through a lot of battery power. We recently started a new tactic with the goal of minimizing our environmental impact through battery conditioning. We converted all our batteries to brand new, top-of-the-line Eneloop batteries with a life of 2100 charges. So, no more one-time use batteries, only rechargeable!

Apart from the batteries, we also have a Nest Learning Thermostat that programs itself and helps save energy. Not only does it save us money on our heating bill, but it also helps us avoid running the air when no one’s home. We also use a combination of compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) lights and LEDs, which are more energy efficient.

These small things make a big difference in saving our planet. We want Treefrog to live on for many generations, and we hope you do too.

What are you doing in your space to reduce your footprint? We’d love to hear from you!

Resources

https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation-and-forest-degradation
https://www.tomsofmaine.com/good-matters/natural-products/the-amazing-benefits-of-local-honey

¹Smart commute bonus is only for in-office commuters.
²Garden options tend to change from year to year.

Brand Strategy

4 Signs You Need A Brand Overhaul

Treefrog Editorial Team / July 28, 2017

Great brands resonate with customers through the strategic execution of look and feel, reputation management, and by telling a great story. And while some brands like Pepsi and Instagram can take things to the next level by making small adjustments to their brand, other companies may require a full brand overhaul to revitalize their presence.

How do they do it?

They hire professionals who can help to identify when their brand identity is becoming stagnant and mature their logo, website, packaging, and messaging – seamlessly and according to trends identified in the marketplace.

How do you know when it’s time to contact the professionals?

1. You’re Making Too Many Excuses

Are you at the point where you’re making up excuses for updating your branding? You know, saying things like, “We’ve just been too busy,” “It’s not that bad,” and, “Maybe next year”?

If this sounds like you, it’s time to take the necessary steps towards a brand overhaul. Think about it, if you, (a person who is biased towards your brand) is noticing that you’re falling behind, imagine what your potential customers and clients are thinking.

We know your brand may have sentimental value, but it’s important that over time, it still appeals to your audience. Revitalize your business by contacting a digital marketing agency that can begin to strategize and action your creative and innovative comeback.

2. You’re In Need Of Reputation Management

If your business is looking for ways to overcome a series of bad reviews or some sort of scandal; a brand overhaul and reputation management may be able to save your company from losing momentum. Re-branding is the perfect way to articulate that improvement and change are being made to rectify the concerns of your customers.

Creative re-branding is also helpful in distracting customers from the ‘bad’ and getting people excited about the ‘good’ that’s to come as you turn a new leaf. Take fast food giant McDonald’s for example:

When American filmmaker Morgan Spurlock released his documentary Supersize Me, McDonald’s, unsurprisingly, panicked. While customers knew that McDonald’s wasn’t necessarily healthy, the negative press and shocking results of the documentary turned into a massive scandal for the brand.

To minimize the hit, McDonald’s quickly went to the drawing board to try to change the way people were thinking about their food. Since then, McDonald’s has re-designed their restaurants, ordering experience, and promotes sophisticated McCafe coffee and smoothies, Happy Meal apple slices, salads, snack wraps, Angus burgers, and shows no signs of slowing down – a brand overhaul well done.

3. Your Business Is Growing Rapidly

Start-ups typically launch with one service or product, but as they develop a following and identify consumer interests and needs, they are likely to expand their offerings – potentially changing their target market and brand messaging. Therefore, when growth develops outside of the scope of an original business plan, a brand overhaul may be necessary – to target and appeal to a wider audience.

In the beginning days of a start-up, it’s also not uncommon to try to save money by building your own basic website, designing your own print materials, and crafting your own logo. However, as your business begins to grow, you may want to consider consulting print, web, design, and content professionals who can mature the logo and promotional materials you started with, making them more sophisticated, versatile, and professional.

4. Your Brand Is Losing Interest & Customers

Over time, audience preferences change, and it’s your responsibility to keep up. This is especially true for brands that have been around for decades and must launch new campaigns to remain fresh and relevant with changing trends and target markets. Take men’s deodorant brand Old Spice for example:

Before launching their 2010 campaign featuring athlete Isaiah Mustafa, Old Spice had become stagnant, dated, and boring. However, through their successful commercial campaign, Old Spice rebranded with humour, connected with a younger demographic, and became a key creative player in the marketplace. They even went viral with ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’.

Other successful re-brands include Keds partnership with Taylor Swift, Burberry’s innovative use of technology and personalization, and The Bay’s shift back to their original name, ‘Hudson’s Bay’.

How Treefrog Can Help

Need professional guidance on how to execute your brand overhaul or logo maturation? That’s our specialty. Our Treefrog team of content marketers, social media gurus, kick ass designers, and programmers, can help to deliver a brand refresh that will keep your business moving forward.

Brand Strategy

7 Ways to Audit Your Brand

Treefrog Editorial Team / August 27, 2015

Is it time for a brand refresh?

Your logo is one of the most critical parts of your branding. It is the visual manifestation of your business, voice, messaging and values. It multitasks, acting as your signpost, your calling card, your signature. It ties together every aspect of your marketing efforts and customer experience, from your website and signage to your invoices and receipts.

Your brand, however, is so much more than just your logo. It is your company’s personality and reputation. More importantly, it affects your customers’ recognition and positive impression of these elements. The most memorable and enduring logos stem from strong brand identities. Think of Nike, or Coca-Cola. Understanding your brand is the foundation for the visuals of your corporate character.

As with any part of your business, it is important to stay up to date with your branding.

How do you know that your brand needs an update? Here are seven important considerations.

1. You’ve recently changed your business

If you have acquired a new company, grown your business, or if you’ve started offering new services, it is a perfect time to update your brand. Your brand must speak to your marketing and consumers. If your business changes, your brand should adapt to reflect those changes.

2. There is inconsistency between branches of your business

We see this all too often with companies who have extensive, divided sectors of their organization. These sectors should compliment one another to promote a concise, consolidated brand.

3. You cringe or apologize when you show someone your logo or website

If this is you, stop reading right now and call Treefrog. You should be proud of your brand, your logo and your website. If you aren’t, your customers will know it.

4. Your competitors have updated their brands

We don’t mean this in a “keeping up with the Joneses” sort of way, but if your competitors are updating their brands, it means that they are going after new potential clients. That means, your potential clients. If they have a sexy new look that better represents their company, then something needs to be done about it.

5. It’s been 10 years since you updated your branding

A decade is a long time. Look at the differences in time between the 1990s to now. Your brand should keep up with how you do business. At no point should someone look at your logo and think “That looks so 1999!” Changing your brand does not mean losing sight of who you are. In fact, it means the opposite. Updating your brand carefully shapes your business while maintaining the authenticity, history and evolution of your company.

6. Your previous logo was not designed by a professional

If you used clip-art or a stock company to create your logo, you have not invested in your brand. Creating a brand should be a thoughtful, thought-provoking exercise that takes into account all the aspects of your company. It should be an investment into the identity of your organization.

7. You have lost your voice, audience or identity

If your current marketing is not working for you, it’s time to re-evaluate. You cannot expect to continue with your marketing as-is and expect different results. If you are not reaching your audience with the tactics you are using, then it’s time to change the conversation.

Your brand should capture and align with what your ideal customer is looking for. It should stand out from the crowd and invoke an immediate trust in your business.

Treefrog can help you gain new perspective on the perception of what your brand is, and what its potential could be. We can also help you understand your customers’ opinions and incorporate this into your messaging. Once we’ve helped you create a brand image that fits, we’ll help you transform the concepts into insightful and imaginative visuals that will make an unforgettable statement.

For more information or to inquire about updating your brand, contact us today.

Brand Strategy

What is Corporate Identity?

Treefrog Editorial Team / December 31, 2014

…and Why is it Important?

The concept of corporate identity is akin to what we refer to when we talk about our own identity, the specifics that differentiate us from others. It is our personality and character that maintains our individuality, which we express through how we behave, speak, and even what we wear.

Similarly, a business makes itself distinct through the image that it presents to the world, through collateral like business cards, letterheads, brochures and other options. It is a physical expression of the company’s brand, an extension of the culture that is already expressed through communication style and behaviour exhibited to maintain the image of the business.

Corporate Identity expresses your business’s brand personality and sets you apart from the competition.

The Importance of Corporate Identity

In a fast-paced and competitive world where the consumer has innumerable options available to them, a company needs a strategy to establish a solid presence in the marketplace. There are strong reasons to believe that the right corporate identity helps achieve this business objective.

Building Corporate Persona: When we meet a person, it is the first impression that has the most impact. We tend to gather cues from what we see and feel, interpreting our observations to form our opinion about the person. This is also how we treat products and companies. To stand out from their competitors, every company needs to have a good brand image, to create a niche in the client’s mind by having a unique, pleasing appearance and identity.

Consumer Loyalty: The consistent design of a corporate identity, in accordance with objectives set for the business, uphold and reflect the ethos, culture, principles, future ambitions, or visionary goals of the business. Customers who find this to be in accordance with their philosophy and liking feel connected to this image and are more likely to develop loyalty to the business.

Business Enhancement: Personal experiences with a corporate identity influence consumers and their purchasing decisions. A corporate identity with a strong and positive impact creates a favorable mental image of the business in a consumer’s mind. A strategically planned identity gives a good return in terms of referrals and repeat business.

Businesses may occasionally need to update their corporate identity, if there is an ideological change in the target audience over time and as the world changes. Design professionals can help with attention grabbing logos, impressive business cards, elegant letterheads, inviting envelopes, stunning brochures and other identity elements. Invest in your corporate identity to develop trust, a sense of value, and a lasting connection with your customer base.