In the run-up to ICE London 2020, one of the largest and most important events in the industry, solutions providers are perfecting their current products and preparing to unveil new technological innovations. They are designing their stands, getting their promotional campaigns ready, and since the exhibition is an excellent place for meeting potential clients and making a strong impression, brands are particularly focused on their key visuals. COO at Betinvest Max Dubossarsky opens up about the importance of a key visual.
How important is a brand’s key visual in making a strong first impression?
Basically, in today’s world, businesses have just a few seconds to respond to questions potential clients might be asking: Who are you? What do you do? What have you got to offer?
Put yourself in the shoes of these prospective clients: there’s a wealth of offers out there, pulling their attention in all directions. Because of this, they don’t have much time at all to get to know a particular company, product or service.
In addition to this, statistics say that it takes just three seconds to make an initial assessment of the goods on offer. Three seconds to figure out whether or not they like what they see. In order to effectively communicate with the consumer and become a recognised brand, you need to work on your key visual. Of course, we’re not denying the importance of all the other elements involved in a business, we’re just talking about key visuals as part of a multi-faceted course of action.
What does an effective key visual look like?
A truly effective key visual represents the basic message of a brand, and delivers the idea to the consumer visually, extending across a whole range of media channels. When done right, this is a marketing approach which helps to make the brand’s products stand out on the market.
Key visuals are made up of elements of brand identity (logo, brand colours, fonts, etc.), as well as the key message which communicates the philosophy or selling point of a brand, and graphic elements and images.
In 2019–2020, Betinvest’s marketing communication has been based around a concept we’re calling Betting Genesis. The brand’s key visual includes the company colours – yellow and black, our font and logo, and a range of graphic elements, central to which is a hexagon and the following key message: “Your betting business starts here”.
How does such a distinctive key visual contribute to the Betinvest brand?
Firstly, our key visual differentiates us from other brands on the market and helps us attract the attention of potential clients.
Secondly, it helps users get to know our brand faster. As I mentioned earlier, a key visual is a way to provide a quick answer to those questions: Who are we? What do we do? What have we got to offer?
Thirdly, it creates awareness. Colours, fonts, message, images: these are all pieces of a puzzle which come together to create a unique offer. Creativity, understanding and relevance of the visual pieces help to create the right connotations you want to be associated with the brand, and make it memorable in the future.
What are the guidelines for making sure a key visual is effective?
There are three important things to remember: keep your message simple, keep it consistent for various devices, and be creative where possible.
Think about the three-second rule. Talk about your company briefly, simply and accurately. Your single visual concept should be scalable to any media channel. But creativity shouldn’t be just for creativity’s sake. It’s good when it achieves a specific objective and carries across a specific message. But unsuccessful designs or key messages can complicate or distort the key ideas behind the company. And you don’t want this to happen.
A key visual provides a mouthpiece for your brand. It is your manifesto, your idea that you express here and now. It represents your relationship with your customers and your ability to be noticed amongst countless other offers out there. It is part of the image surrounding your brand. Once they see you, potential users must be able to answer these questions: Who are you? What do you do? How can you be of help? Make yourself understood, set yourself apart, and leave a lasting impression.
