Every year, when the 31st of October rolls around, people start thinking of Halloween costumes. What makes a character or person iconic enough for people to emulate them in a costume? More importantly, what makes people instantly recognize who you are?
One popular costume this year, for example, is Republican vice presidential nominee
Sarah Palin. (In fact, our very own Katie Williams dressed up as Palin for Halloween - see a photo
here!) But what makes a person undeniably recognizable as Sarah Palin? Sexy librarian glasses. Updo with bangs. Northern accent. Professional attire. Gun. Ding ding, you've got Sarah Palin. The Joker is another costume that will be popular this year, due to
Heath Ledger's performance in
The Dark Knight. What do you need to be the Joker? Stringy green hair. Smeared red smile. Dark rimmed eyes. Green or purple suit. A crazy look in your eyes. How easy it is to identify the attributes that are iconic to these characters shows how unique and defined the 'brand' is. People have a specific image of these characters in their minds, and without those brand symbols, the character is not complete.
Brand symbols represent the brand and add layers of depth and meaning. Think about
your brand and
its icons. Do you own them enough that it would be hard for your competitors to emulate you and not come across as phony? If competitors did attempt to imitate you (consider it a form of flattery), would customers still recognize it as your brand? Creating iconic symbols that are inseparable from your brand is the foundation of a strong brand.