Know-How Exchange : Branding

What is the DvS vision? Its Mission Statement? What strategies does DvS feel it can effectively employ (how does it position itself against other similar companies)?

A tag line should come up out of the depths of the Plan. So, IMO, picking one of those is premature.

I prefer one that has "media" or "digital" in it, as it provides some context of what you do better than "artistic" or "creative" would.

The best names/taglines communicate a single-minded benefit promise ... the most important benefit the client can expect when they engage the company. Further, the best names/taglines are specific to the target audience. If you deliver different benefits to different audiences, you might want to consider presenting yourself with a different benefit-oriented name for each.

You can also use the name as part of the communication. If you have 3 words in the name (as in "Dynamic Visual Services") that frees up 3 words in the tagline to communicate the benefit your client can expect. If you reduce the name to 3 letters (as in "DvS") you just lose that opportunity and become "alphabet soup."

Who is your primary target audience? Where? How do you position yourself in a new client meeting? Why should someone hire you? How are you different from, and better than, other agencies? What would your current clients say about you if they were contacted for a referral?

None of these:

DvS Creative Solutions
DvS Artistic Solutions
DvS Digital Agency
DvS Creative Agency
DvS Digital Marketing Agency
DvS Digital Consulting
DvS Digital Consulting Agency
DvS Media

—will 'position' your brand let alone do any of the other heavy lifting that a solid brand needs these days in order to stand out because these statements all talk about you and what you do, make, offer, or provide.

Agency. Media. Consulting ... no one cares.

Who—exactly—do you want to reach, move, touch, and inspire with this tag line? What are you already saying that's somehow not resonating?

What value or belief or practice or commitment is central to your company, which differentiates you from other companies? Why should someone do business with you, as opposed to your competitors? One way to explore this is to write a letter. Think of someone you are very close to, maybe a brother or a good friend. Imagine that they have just become the owner of a business. Write that person a short letter, explaining to them why they should consider your company for marketing, what they can expect from your company, and how this will benefit them. This exercise could give you some ideas about positioning.

Another method, a bit more risky, is to survey your customers. Why did they select your company? What do they see about your company, which is different than other companies? What do they like best about doing business with your company? (You might want to ask these questions of past customers, rather than current customers).

And consider the future. What services will you be providing five years from now, and 10 years from now? Technologies will change, but maybe there is something about your business, about your approach, about the way you handle challenges, which will remain the same. What is your company committed to?

Good luck.