Authenticity instead of exaggeration, credibility instead of idealization: That is the key to successful brand work. I call it Realness, a word created from reality and wellness. Feeling at ease in real life. Focusing on what is real, on shared values, on what is human. Talking to each other and creating a shared culture of values. When that comes together, good brands are created.
Realness is not a defiant alternative to the digital world and artificial intelligence. I'm a big proponent of AI. Our customers expect us to know AI and its strengths and use them for brand work. The most important benefit of AI is that it gives us time. We invest this time in the fine-tuning that makes the result special and gives it soul. In the future, the value of our work will be defined as giving us time for our clients' goals, understanding them and then – using technical means – developing the best for them.
Two people, two chairs, time
Consistently mindful reality also strengthens the relationship with our customers. They long for personal encounters, competent interlocutors, and energetic time with experts. Two people, two chairs, time. Joint, in-depth examination of the DNA of their brand gives our customers the certainty of being understood and of getting excellent results. The basis for such an exchange is mutual respect, authenticity and empathy – i.e. competencies that distinguish people, not digital tools or AI applications.
Realness also means that a customer who comes to us feels comfortable. That they can enjoy the view of the countryside in peace and quiet while having a good conversation and a cup of coffee. That is important to the customer. If it wasn't important, we could do everything digitally, just like in pandemic times – the meetings, the presentations, the celebration of successes. That was necessary back then. But it is not what people want.
Realness in operational work
How does Realness manifest itself in operations? Excellent brand work always involves craftsmanship. Strategy development, visual design, UI/UX and text are disciplines in which manual competence – real, learned skills and experience – plays a major role. It brings the soul into a manifesto, into a logo, into the formulation of corporate values, into the tone of voice of a website. An AI can't do that. It will never give us everything we want to convey with a brand. People will always strive to experience the honest, the genuine, the conscious about a brand, a product and to feel the soul of the company.
Realness as a brand asset
Authenticity, clarity, the human aspect in the foreground: Realness comprises values that make a brand attractive to many. But for such a set of values in particular, it is crucial that it can be experienced in reality and is therefore credible. That is why we at Bergwerk Realness are anchored in all facets of our brand work. This could be a stylishly reduced trademark or an image brochure whose feel conveys naturalness and sustainable action. It can be the development of the value “honest handling of mistakes” in a workshop or the recommendation to assign a specific scent to a brand. Realness involves all senses and opens up many paths.
Sense and credibility
The answer to the question of the purpose of a company is development – also through consistent brand work. In the end, it must make sense: for the user, for the viewer, for the person. The days of empty promises are over.
Companies without Realness will struggle because credibility comes first. Good brand work does just that: It conveys credibility.
This text was translated automatically.
