Follow the crowd for a quick win, or commit to something completely different in the hopes of standing out? One acclaimed California agency laments that most brands now prefer the former, and in this segment argues for a return to boldness.Learn more at https://www.thelolaagency.com/post/forget-the-noise-how-bold-branding-cuts-through-the-clutter
When a certain tone, color scheme, or tagline starts popping up within an industry, most businesses nowadays don’t even pause to question it; they just follow.
The logic goes like this: if it’s working for everyone else, it must be the right move, correct? Agencies push trend decks, competitors lean into the same warm neutrals, the same minimalist copy, and soon, your brand starts to feel like it belongs. But that comfort is short-lived.
“For mid-sized companies trying to gain ground, the lure of conformity is especially strong,” says a creative lead from London: Los Angeles, a multi-award-winning creative agency based in El Segundo. “What we’re seeing now is that brands are rushing to blend in and cash on whatever is being talked about instead of proactively working to stand out.”
Eventually, what will be left is a brand with no distinct voice, no memory, no staying power; that is, if the company manages to stay that long at all.
It doesn’t happen overnight because most brands begin with a clear story. Then come the compromises: a word changed here, a design tweak there. Soon, everything gets filtered through committee until nothing risks offense and nothing stands out, and then businesses wind up with a brand that checks boxes but doesn’t register.
“We’ve seen strong brands become indistinguishable from their less well-known competitors over time,” London: Los Angeles’s spokesperson says. They’re afraid to take a position, afraid to turn anyone off, but in doing so, they lose the plot.
They add that when every brand in a category starts sounding like it was written by the same strategist, buyers stop listening, and then they stop caring. Especially in sectors like wellness, tech, and consumer goods, where competition is fierce and attention is brief, being forgettable is the real liability.
For London: Los Angeles, differentiating a brand must be a deliberate act. “It entails knowing what your brand actually stands for, and saying it with conviction,” says its creative lead.
Just recently, London: Los Angeles laid out a few principles, in a new guide, with insights drawn from lessons learned while creating and executing numerous award-winning campaigns. Their tips and resources are designed help businesses get started on saving their brands from the death sentence that is homogeneity.
To access further resources and tips, click the link in the description.
London : Los Angeles (LO:LA) City: El Segundo Address: 840 Apollo Street Website: https://www.thelolaagency.com