Which Two Bidding Strategies Can Boost Brand Awareness And Recognition

4 steps to a better branding strategy

Gaston Legorburu is executive creative director and worldwide chief creative officer at global digital agency SapientNitro. Earlier today, the visionary practitioner took to the stage to open India's biggest design and creativity conference, Kyoorius Designyatra, with a look behind the scenes at SapientNitro's unique approach to branding strategy.

Legorburu is one of a host of leading industry lights speaking at Designyatra this year. Branding legend Ivan Chermayeff, Pentagram partner Natasha Jen and Pearlfisher's Jonathan Ford are also set to address the 1,500-strong audience here in Goa's impressive Grand Hyatt Hotel, along with Made By Many's Tim Malbon, SomeOne strategic creative directors David Law and Simon Manchipp, Ajaz Ahmed of AKQA and more.

Fresh from his talk this morning, Legorburu took time out to explain more about how SapientNitro helps its clients tell their stories.

You can read the full interview inside an exclusive 'branding secrets' feature in Computer Arts issue 234, on sale 13 November. In the meantime, Legorburu shares four secrets for creating a successful branding strategy…

Gaston Legorburu explaining why every brand needs a story at Kyoorius Designyatra 2014

01. Start with authenticity

Unless your brand purpose comes from an original story and it really is something you believe in, you'll be found out. Your behaviours are driven by your values and your purpose, so if you aren't aligned on what your purpose is - or it's artificial - then so are all your actions.

02. You have to take inventory

It's not about having your consumers adopt your values; it's about them relating to them and making connections. It's not about you crafting the perfect story for you; rather, how do you become part of their story? What value are you going to create for them that does that for them?

03. The customer is the hero

In brand planning, story plays a big role. There are some story types that work better in connecting people to companies than others. The whole idea of the hero's journey is something I really believe in. It's great for branding.

Click here to find out how Legorburu's hero's journey is revolutionising the brand creation process.

04. Give a gift

The brand strategies that are really successful are the ones where there's a gift – there's a value set – and it really connects. It really does something for you. That's where real brand love comes from. A lot of brand strategies are touting their horns on the brand and the whole thing's all about them. But it's an active statement about you; not about them – it's what they do for you.

You can go on and on and start dissecting the brands you think are really loved and resonate with people, but there are very few exceptions that don't have that underlying formula at some level. And that's a revelation.

Julia is editor-in-chief, retail at Future Ltd, where she works in e-commerce across a number of consumer lifestyle brands. A former editor of design website Creative Bloq, she's also worked on a variety of print titles, and was part of the team that launched consumer tech website TechRadar. She's been writing about art, design and technology for over 15 years.