Brand tools made in Europe - 2022 landscape
I didn't find any landscape consolidating brand marketing tools and solutions. So I build my own brand mapping, which I share with you.
Why brand tools are important
Working in marketing and brands for several years, I experienced two things. First, there are a lot of repetitive unsexy tasks behind the marketing magic. Second, consistency - and therefore, repetition - is crucial in marketing and branding, so your audience recognizes your brand easily. To solve both challenges at once, you can use templates, frameworks... but also tools. I mean, digital tools.
The main advantage is that brand tools are automated solutions, preventing you from spending time on repetitive tasks that don't add any value to your marketing ideas and strategy. Brand MarTech is also valuable because you are (pretty) sure to use the last version of your logo, our colours, fonts, campaign images, etc. Some of them include a workflow, which is essential for internal approval. Depending on their focus, Brand marketing tools may centralize marketing assets too and therefore help you keep control of all your creations and archive them properly, which is crucial in the case of licensing and buyout rights.
For all these reasons, I decided to create the available brand tool landscape for 2022, focusing on Europe-based solutions only.
Brand tools selection: behind the choices
MarTech tools are numerous: the Marketing Technology Landscape 2022 collects 9,932 solutions (!?). To be transparent, it is not the case for tools explicitly related to the brand area, as a brand is a part of the big marketing ocean. However, I found it meaningful to be selective, following three main criteria.
I first chose digital tools promoted by companies looking professional (and believe me or not, I had to filter a lot), meaning having a comprehensive and trustworthy website and a way to contact the business (in most cases). The more you need a tool to manage your brand, the more it means your brand has value, so it sounds normal for me to have a serious and reliable partner to get assistance.
The second reason why I selected the tools available on the 2022 landscape is that the company owning it, and the tool looks up-to-date. In marketing, like in some other areas, it is crucial. It even became a must-have as many marketing pieces are now connected (or should be connected), especially in omnichannel marketing strategies to deliver a consistent and durable brand experience. Your tool has to contain pretty recent integrations to keep your brand management at an efficient level.
My last criterion is probably the most controversial one. Indeed, I decided to focus on European brand tools only. Why? I think many companies (and tools) in Europe deserve to be known for the quality of their products. And in fact, I was surprised to discover that most of the digital solutions related to brands I listed were European, at least for the categories I concentrate on. Checking the origin of the companies was very instructive too: many companies don't tell where they are located or come from, and the European ones are coming from a pretty big diversity of countries, with many from the UK but also some from the nordic countries. I loved travelling through Europe (and the world) looking for brand tools to deliver this first brand marketing tool landscape.
Europe-based brand tools: state of 2022
Now that you know my journey let's discover the brand tool landscape.
It contains six categories: brand name, brand colours, brand typography, digital asset management (or "DAM"), brand management platforms, and reputation management. I ordered the categories from the smallest, most tangible and creative brand aspects to the broadest, more abstract and rather brand management ones.
The brand name category is related to the search for a brand name. It is not that I think that a tool can replace the creative and strategic brain. However, digital solutions can help impulse new thoughts to find the perfect brand name.
The brand colours and typography are pretty self-explanatory: the concerned tools provide sources of inspiration to define a powerfully original and memorable brand identity. These tools are usually either based on artificial intelligence or co-curation by members.
Digital asset management tools or "DAM" are much more numerous and sophisticated. In a nutshell, they centralize the elements of your brand identity and your marketing creatives. It is like an extensive library containing all you created (or bought).
Under the brand management platform, I put the tools that I cover more than DAM. Usually, those tools include also a creative studio and a workflow system for approval, so I've some concrete examples. They are super tools. Attention, they are not related to the brand platform concept. At some point, I may need to change the designation (suggestion welcomed).
The last category is for the tools managing the brands' online reputation. It is a crucial aspect because the brand image is how your audience perceives your brand, and this is exactly what you want to influence as a marketer, especially as a brand manager. So I felt natural to add this dimension to this brand tool landscape 2022, so the circle is complete.
Brand Tools Mapping 2022
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A brand tool to recommend? Add it!
Do you know a tool related to brand and branding that you would like to list for the next edition of the Brand Tool Landscape? Then add the dedicated file, and I will take care of the rest!
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