The visual and verbal language of any brand defines how the brand expresses itself, determines its behavior and further influences the feelings and relationships associated with the brand. The elements of the visual and verbal language of a brand can be further broken down into the tone of voice, the symbols and the story. In order to explain how the verbal and visual language of a brand defines the brand identity, lets explore the Mercedes Benz brand.
At the heart of the Mercedes-Benz brand lies the brand values of tradition, innovation, quality and safety. This innovation is portrayed as modern and expressed in terms of the brands heritage, that being quality German engineering through innovation in performance and safety.
Brand identity is the unique meaning of a brand, it is an expression of who the brand is, what it does and why it matters. The brand identity highlights the brands purpose and how that purpose adds value. The Mercedes Benz brand values have shaped its brands identity over time to being that of elegance and authenticity through engineering excellence. The Mercedes Benz brand values and identity are consistently expressed in every new product that they launch into the market. When launching a new model, Mercedes Benz make a point to be seen as innovating the automotive market in terms of technology, safety and luxury.
The Mercedes Benz brands tone of voice is that of elegance, performance and luxury. The personality of the brand would be that of a discerning perfectionist, portraying power, confidence and sophistication. The visual and verbal language of the brand is that of being one of elite status and is clearly aimed at the wealthy successful professional.
Brand symbols are a vital component in achieving a clear brand identity and in order for the symbol to be effective it needs to be easily recognizable, unique and have a clear representation of the brand. Mercedes Benz uses the brand symbol of the 3 pointed star, which is said to symbolize Daimler’s ambition for world domination, with each point said to represent land, water and air.
Further to the 3 pointed star, Mercedes Benz carries distinctive design lines across their various models to make their cars clearly recognizable and distinctively Mercedes Benz. An example of this can be referenced through the front grill shapes with the star symbol making a focal point to clearly define the cars as Mercedes Benz.
Mercedes Benz draws its story from its long history dating back to 1926 and according to Wikipedia was the biggest selling premium automobile brand in 2018. Mercedes Benz built their story on luxury and elegance and became know as an automobile for the social elite. In recent years Mercedes Benz realized that they needed to capture the attention of the younger generations and added performance to their brand identity.
Mercedes Benz advertising mediums, in both mainstream media and on all digital platforms, deliver relatable messages which are both relevant and creative. These messages drive home the product attributes of luxury, performance and safety which ultimately portray the brand identity of prestigious exclusivity.
The constant attention to detail, overall quality and comfort has produced a product that is seen to be a superior car in the worlds automotive arena. Mercedes Benz have cleverly positioned vehicles into the market that portray status and prestige all the way along the ladder of success.
It is without doubt that Mercedes Benz communicates a verbal and visual language that has enhanced their brand identity of prestige, exclusivity, sophistication and elegance which is clearly captured in their slogan “the best or nothing”.
The visual and verbal language of a brand are vital in defining the brands identity. Mercedes Benz have been very effective and consistent with their visual and verbal language to solidify their brand identity of elegance into the hearts and minds of consumers around the globe.
References:- http://www.mercedes-bendz.co.za http://www.mercedes-benz.com http://dasauto-skema.blogspot.com
Alistair's Blog 