The Great British Brand Image

If there are two things your stereotypical Brit loves, it’s biscuits and innuendos. Someone had the bright idea of putting those two hands together and blessing us with the hugely successful, slightly-naughty-but-in-a-Carry-On-film-sort-of-way, Great British Bake Off!

We here at Platform 81 are big Bake Off fans but our Digital Marketing team are especially fond of GBBO as a perfect example of brand image done right. So much so that we’ve created this Bake Off inspired guide to help you strengthen your brand’s image.

Nutty Tones

One thing Bake Off gets right, right off the bat, is that it has a strong tone of voice: silly, sarcastic, naughty, and quintessentially British.

If anyone was worried @noelfielding11 might calm it on the shirt front this year, fret not.#GBBO pic.twitter.com/omHLAjKw43

— Channel 4 (@Channel4) August 28, 2018

If you’ve followed Bake Off from the start, you’ll see how its tone of voice has been defined by and developed with its audience. That being said, it had the clear foundation of “Britishness” to start off with and build the brand from.

Our advice? Start strong. Don’t be afraid to define your tone of voice across all forms of marketing from the get-go. This will help you cultivate an audience and you’ll soon see what does and doesn’t work based on how they engage with your brand. From here you can refine your tone of voice to cater to your audience’s interests.

The Perfect Consistency

As it is in baking, so it is in marketing: consistency is key! The Bake Off brand image is consistent across all the show’s marketing including video advertising, digital marketing, and social media. Whether you find them creepy or endearing, the Great British Bake Off is synonymous with “talking cakes”. You can find them in the show’s own adverts and in marketing content from its sponsors. The talking cakes have been a marketing campaign that Bake Off fans look forward to every season with this year’s wonky cake chorus even tugging at the British public’s heart strings!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jB4kU_ip7U

Our advice? Be consistent across all elements of your brand’s marketing. You don’t have to use the same idea throughout all your campaigns but having a recurring look or theme helps etch your brand into the public’s collective subconscious. Above all else make sure your marketing is always true to your brand’s voice.

No Soggy Bottoms 

In spite of the fact that it is rife with double-entendre (we’re looking at you Sandi and Noel!) there aren’t many parents who wouldn’t let their children watch The Great British Bake Off. One of the things that makes the Bake Off brand so successful is the fact that it is so self-aware. It knows the difference between titillating and explicit. You may find the show full of dirty humour, both subtle and not-so-subtle, but the brand would never go out of its way to offend. It pushes boundaries but in a fun and respectful way, with an awareness of what is and isn’t politically correct.

Our advice? Make sure you keep your brand politically correct, especially if your brand image is rooted in comedy. Think before you post on social media and be conscious of humour that bullies, harasses, or discriminates as this is the fastest way to alienate audiences and blacklist your brand.

The Cake-Away?

There’s a reason the Great British Bake Off is so successful. In order to stand out in a competitive market you need a strong brand image. Don’t avoid committing to a set brand image out of a desire for flexibility. Defining your image now doesn’t mean you can’t re-brand later. All it means is that you have a strong foundation to cultivate an audience and share your message from. Find your tone of voice, keep it consistent, and be mindful of what is and isn’t appropriate for your brand.

Tell us about your brand and let our Digital Marketing team help you define your brand image. Contact us here or call 0161 850 2381.