Hello, friends –

 

Well, it's 2025, can you believe it?! From snow in the east to fires in the west, not to mention the impending administration change…it's quite a time to be alive. I hope that wherever you are, you're safe and snug and not too stressed out. 

 

This month we're looking at iconic distinctive brand assets, serving a hot take on Walmart's brand refresh, and signing off with insights from yet another brilliant brand leader. You'll notice that we've disproportionately featured women in this regular section of The Pour. Yes, that's on purpose, and no, we don't feel that we need any more masculine energy on the internet, thank you very much.

 

Be well, and take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your community. 

 

Cheers,

Laura

 

Building a strong brand is, of course, so much more than pretty design. Even setting aside strategic exercises like positioning, naming, and messaging, the visual components of your brand must work hard to provide distinctiveness, pique consumers' interest, and reinforce the idea at the heart of your business. No small task, but when done properly, the result is pure magic.

 

As brand creators, we talk a lot about distinctive brand assets, which are quite simply a shortcut or trigger that brings to mind your brand – even without saying the name. It's arguably the ultimate goal: to own so completely a sound, color, word, or image in the minds of the public, that logic goes out the window, and the lizard brain takes over. 

 

Here are some of our favorite examples of distinctive brand assets at work…

So if you're not one of these global behemoths, how should you think about putting your brand on the path to icon status?* 

 

Here are three principles to keep in mind:

 

The really annoying part about getting fit is it's boring. You have to show up, commit to your routine, avoid distractions, and do the reps. There's no quick fix, and discipline is paramount. Similarly, iconic brands are built over years – honestly, decades – so settle in, commit, and move forward with vigilance and patience.

 

Iconic brands use every channel at their disposal to reiterate and reinforce their distinctive brand assets. This is not just about a splashy Superbowl ad: it's about the packaging, the shelf talker, the radio ads, and the social copy. “Brands are built in the mind,” Walter Landor famously said - so you need to feed the mind from every side, at every opportunity.

 

Patiently watching as the snowy head of a pint of Guinness settles in the glass. Spotting a glowing, golden arch off the side of a dark highway. The ads above spotlight brand assets that have already become distinctive, but the process of determining what's worthy of being an icon is just as important. Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer, client or user. Experience the product. What stands out? What's ownable? What's memorable? Then put your focus there.