Tech companies suck at brand. This might not include every tech company under the sun, and believe me they are getting better at brand communication, but on the whole, if your company is in the tech space, I’m sorry, you do brand bad.

The Way Tech Companies Think

And you can’t really blame tech folk as they are pretty much left brain people. They think logically, practically, and fundamentally they are in the business of ‘if my piece of software or the service I offer is better than yours, I win.’

Their whole business is based around function and pushing the boundaries of creating better functional experiences that make work easier, processes flow better and life more efficient.  Which is great.

Where They Miss A Trick

What they fail to do is take seriously how important it is to engage with emotions, make things fun enjoyable even silly. This is all right brain thinking, where ideas and attraction are created through images, with possibilities that perfection can be attained.

Emotion creates an aura around a brand that is intangible and makes you go ‘I like it.’ There is no rhyme or reason. Emotional connections persuade heavily and are connected with preconceived perceptions in the mind.

That’s why proper brands spend a lot of time and money creating these perceptions. Like Apple has the feel of being designer, creative and savvy. The trouble is tech companies are not trained and it’s simply not in their DNA to think in such a mindset. Industries like fashion are well up to speed with linking their product with right brain thinking. As very few will argue based on the quality of their cotton in their shirts, what they will argue is how wearing a particular brand of shirt will make you feel, e.g. rugged when wearing Levi’s, or youthful and sexy when wearing Hollister.

How To Do Brand Communication Right?

The problem is further compounded with tech companies when they simply mimic each other when it comes to their communications. The names they choose, the imagery and language they express. This is why blue is so overused within in the tech space and imagery of men in suits and the dreaded handshake dominate.

Great brand communication comes from an in-depth understanding of who you are and what you stand for. Brands are just like people. We like our set of friends based on their personality not on their functional attributes of having a nose, a couple of eyes or any other functional body parts…

So before you can dress up and communicate a brand, you first have to know what a business stands for. What are their brand values? As these are unique to each organisation. Once you go through a process and clearly define that, then you can create meaningful communications, which can attract, entertain, seduce and create preference.