Branding often takes the backseat in advertising, but does it really have to?
**Article by Josh Manning**, Head Brand Thinker at Thinkerbell.
In today’s fast-paced marketing environment, while we fixate on messaging and demand attention, **branding is frequently treated as an afterthought**. It’s time to challenge this notion and reassess what true branding means.
Our recent exploration began with **Tom Wenborn**, our executive creative tinker, who spotlighted the rise of minimalist OOH (out-of-home) ads from giants like **Coca-Cola**, **British Airways**, **KitKat**, **Heinz**, and **KFC**. These ads are celebrated for their simplicity and clever branding, but we had to ask: **Are they actually well-branded?**
To find out, we partnered with **Ideally**, putting these ads under scrutiny. Each ad was shown for just **six seconds** to a diverse national audience, mimicking real-world exposure to large-format OOH ads. Afterward, we asked participants, unprompted, which brand they associated with the ad. Here’s what we discovered…
Don’t Overcomplicate Your Assets
Over-manipulating branding elements can render even the most iconic brands unrecognizable. Our research showed that when altering the classic **Heinz** slogan “It has to be Heinz,” very few recognized the brand. Similarly, **Coca-Cola’s** playful logos and summer-related context fell short, with only **28%** identifying it as Coke. **Play it too loose, and familiarity slips away.**
The Power of Context: Use Wisely
**Competing associations** are real, and they can muddle your branding efforts. When summer consumption comes to mind, consumers think **soda, beer, and fast food**. Therefore, it’s essential that your advertising context aligns with category-specific cues to filter out the noise.
In our findings, **British Airways** and **KFC** excelled with contextually relevant visuals, effectively embedding their brands into consumer understanding. Without enough category-specific cues, your brand risks being associated with competitors. Our studies showed Coca-Cola ads triggering **beer associations**, while Heinz had more in common with **fast food chains** than its own identity.
Sophisticated Branding: Less Is More
Unlike Coke and Heinz, brands like **KFC, KitKat, and British Airways** achieved high recognition without overwhelming viewers with massive logos or vibrant backgrounds. They exemplified that **effective branding doesn’t need to be crass**. Clever use of subtle category cues kept them front of mind, resulting in above **75% brand attribution** in our research.
Branding Needs Serious Consideration
Pushing your logo into the corner or slapping it down just isn’t adequate anymore. Sure, the basics—**distinctive brand assets**—are essential, but knowing how to apply them is where the artistry lies.
If even established brands can trip up, it’s clear that **branding requires serious thought**. Treating it as an afterthought—like placing a logo wherever convenient—simply won’t cut it.
So, before you dismiss branding as a simple afterthought or cling to outdated guidelines, reconsider: **Is your ad truly as branded as you think?**
