“Atrium Genomics” as the name suggests has everything to do with genes, genome sequencing, imaging and genetic testing. When Varnan decided to undertake the Branding project of Atrium Genomics, all it had as an entry point into the initiation of the project, was the name itself!
Let us begin with the visual element since we are talking about DNA! A brand concretizes its position in the market mainly through visuals. No wonder why corporate giants like KPMG have an entire “Brand Recipe” to their credit! Or the new logo and clear font size for Monster, the online job-hunting giant has come up.
The Branding Project Management of Atrium Genomics was one of the most interesting projects for Varnan. Unique but practical business ideas, entrepreneurial mindset, fresh ideas and inputs, insightful market research pointers and moreover, unleashing the power of DNA!
Background
Almost everybody is aware of the fact that DNA is the blueprint of human life on earth. Their lifestyle, their immune system and even reactions to certain stimuli is because of their DNA. Hence, making use of this knowledge of DNA, Atrium Genomics aimed at providing preventive healthcare solutions by enhancing one’s lifestyle. Just imagine it this way, if you are already aware of the root cause of any anomaly in your body, you would naturally want to prevent it. Not by taking medicines but by working on improving your lifestyle.
Problem Statement
Why do we all hesitate to go to doctors, have you wondered about that? While you ponder over this, we take a step forward in expediating the problem statement posed by Atrium Genomics. By making use of the blueprint of your body, i.e., your DNA, to bring about appropriate lifestyle changes for preventive measures. If you are aware of what changes your body is going through, you’ll be less anxious and more focused on preventing any further anomalies. Quite different from the standard diagnosis, its preventive diagnosis, is assisted by expert counselling sessions which would provide the much-needed mentorship to bring about the desired lifestyle changes.
The Branding Point of View
Evidently, the primordial step for any branding project is Market Mapping. At Varnan, we understand that every brand is different and so are its requirements. And we justify the same by deploying the best minds for conducting market research and market mapping. After analysing the problem statement of Atrium Genomics, we umpired a research scholar with a legal edge. Naturally, the aficionado, Uday Vir Singh’s name popped up. He agreed to our proposal and the market map was chalked out.
The procedure of market mapping becomes imperative for any nascent branding project because as much as it is necessary to identify the TG (target group) and track their behaviour, it is also important to know how and what we don’t want to portray our brand as. Whether we had to opt for Yellow Tail’s Blue Ocean Strategy or remain in the Red Ocean, was a decision that would only favour itself with the correct Market Mapping technique. In the case of Atrium Genomics, in a border sense, it could have categorised itself either as a diagnostic centre or a lifestyle coach. What it didn’t want to appear like was a typical diagnostic centre like Dr Lal Path Labs or Max Labs etc. Here is what Market Mapping seeks to achieve:
- Defining the right TG
- Studying their behaviour and identifying the trend/Pattern
- Identifying the right communication tools/methods for the targeted demographic
Creative Workshops
At this stage, the director of Varnan Films, Vernita Verma, takes the command into her own hands and curates the workshop. The volunteers for these workshops are handpicked by making sure that a diverse range of TG is covered. Volunteers belonging to the brand-related field and the ones absolutely aberrant bring to the table a plethora of viewpoints on the same subject matter which might have had limited scope for discussion.
The innovative idea behind conducting these workshops is to get valuable insights into consumer behaviour and mindset. Branding workshops play a vital role in collecting definitive information regarding the tone, brand identity and brand personality. Every workshop demands customization as per the brand in consideration. Each brand is different and so are its needs. Hence, at Varnan we design every workshop in a way that is fun, interactive and challenging. When conducting the workshops, it is a call for duty that we remain extremely unbiased but at the same time vigilant enough to pique the brains of our clients to extract information. More like a Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), you express without many filters.
Creative Analysis
This stage concretises the essence of the entire branding project. The entire team, comprising of our director, content writers, branding specialists, brand strategists, market research specialists and analysts come together and delve into finding the most appropriate solution in accordance with the problem statement posed by the brand posts. A solution that doesn’t contradict the findings of the market research, will be not only practical but creative solutions. The source of the data is the one collected after the conduction of the workshops. Why this is the most critical step because this stage becomes the foundation/base over which the entire brand will build itself. The brand propagation can then happen accordingly. If a brand isn’t consistent with its vision, to begin with, the propagation of the brand is bound to suffer.
A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well.”
– Jeff Bezos
This stage demands expertise and exhaustive brainstorming. Once all the data is analysed, the entire analysis is crystallised in the form of a Brand Book. The following stages are mostly followed:
The following are the achievable:
- Defining the Brand personality
- Creating Mood Board and colour board for the brand
- Helping the Designer with improvising the brand’s visual identities
- Coining and drafting Brand values, USPs and Image notes
- Creating Communication guidelines
- Drafting Guidelines for Digital media communication
- Designing all the visuals for social media posts or campaigns
- Sourcing images/videos from the internet (copyright free
- Designing the layouts for the website articles with a visual brief.
Brand Propagation
Social Media Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are the major places where most of our time is spent. It is fun and informative at the same time. Knowingly or unknowingly we are made aware of brands, be they the giants or the newbies. Hence, propagating a brand on social media platforms, and understanding the TG who will be interested in knowing more about the brand, is the most efficient way to build a brand. The true test of a brand is if it is fit to run the race of social media where multiple competitions already exist. Here exactly is where the Brand Guidelines need to be followed. But propagating a brand on social media is just one facet of the larger picture. For Atrium Genomics, the colour palette has vibrant primary colours, the logo placement, the addition of specific assets etc. The entire communication was centralised and kept in tandem with the Brand Personality which was a veteran mentor, full of wisdom. How must he be communicating with his TG is what was kept in mind while drafting captions, articles or any written communication online.
This is not where the branding terminates, though the project initiated comes to a successful end. For ever-evolving visionary bands like Atrium Genomics, branding is necessarily a dynamic process.
