My View of CI - Sales & Marketing Magazine

One must accept the fact that: CI is by no means the master key. The key is "fit." The company’s mechanism, financial resources, manpower, and the quality of its members have made preparations for the introduction of CI. The timing is ripe, and the introduction of CI is natural. The immature timing is tantamount to destructive growth. In a word: CI IS NO CI?!”

Mr. Wei Zheng, the President of Aiken Image Design Co., Ltd. in Taiwan, talked about the introduction of CI by Shanshan Group and talked about CI's knowledge and ideas from Shanshan. The English name of Aiken Image Design Company is very interesting. “ICON, down Looking at it is “NOCI”, meaning: CI IS NO CI. CI is not CI, it sounds like there is a mystery of metaphysics, it is not very easy to understand, but it is actually a word of defense, not help people not to praise.

In a literal sense, "CI" means "identification of corporate identity." But how to create a unique and distinctly identifiable image is truly the soul of CI. This image includes many aspects: philosophical consistency, visual consistency, and consistency in action. The Japanese type CI refers to these three parts as MI, VI, and BI. This is like building a vast project. Another example is the establishment of a strict combat force, or the establishment of a large university. Education from kindergarten to elementary school, secondary school and university is included.

If you dissect CI, it is not difficult to find that CI is double-sided. From a whole, CI must be very unique, distinctive, and emphasize the individual color, must be clearly distinguished from other similar products or companies. For example, if you look at the image of a cowboy, you can't confuse Marlboro with SIam with the image of the forest. When you hear the song “When the sun rises,” we will never think of Jianlibao or anything, but only one. Reaction: Sun God.

However, as a specific person and thing that constitutes the whole, it cannot exist independently in CI. There is no any individuality or characteristic at all. It can only be a part of the whole. Just like the screw and nut on the machine, everything is Must obey the overall image requirements. The overall image is a fir tree. The individual's image can only be a fir tree; the overall image is a lion, and the individual's image can only be a lion. Of course, this image may not always be a very concrete entity. It may also be a certain concept, a certain feeling, a certain form, or a certain way—"555" cigarettes are high-tech images, and "Wrigley" cigarettes are casual feelings. , "Paramount" cigarettes is a world of lovers, "Jianlibao" represents sports.

CI is also a strict hierarchical system. When we look at the most successful CI operation in our country, the army, the badge of the general must be three bars and three stars. The major's badge must be two bars and one star. The badge of the lieutenant must be a bar and two stars. Will not be chaotic, very orderly. Just as the cosmic galaxies follow each other's orbits, they have no problem with each other. The order and order are to maintain the overall balance and normal operation.

Well, now we can figure out the CI trilogy:

First, the image is established.

We need an image that is consistent with our products, our business and our spiritual atmosphere, and we need a unique, clearly recognizable personality. It can be rigid or flexible; it can be ancient or pioneering; it can be calm and heavy, it can be ethereal, and it can even be male or female. As long as this image meets the quality and connotation of our products or companies, it meets the needs of the market and is unique. We say that the image is unique. It means that CI's development should be considered by the competitors as the center, and many factors of competitors should be taken into consideration to determine the direction of CI. For example, if everyone now uses "O", "O", "O", "O" as a mark, and we use "â–³", then "â–³" is in a pile of "O", "O", "O", and "O". "It will be very prominent in the middle, and this "â–³" should be said to be a relative image, not simply an absolute image derived from the product, the company. In other words, the image should be concerned with the relationship and consider what the image of Others is. It is not a single issue. It must be considered in the context of the entire environment and consider environmental factors. Rising to the height of philosophy is universal connection, relative truth and absolute truth theory.

In order to find this unique image, it is necessary to carry out a thorough market research, from the inside of the company to the outside of the company (from the hardware structure of the company to the software structure of the company), from the evaluation of its own staff to the evaluation of the group of stakeholders, to use , ask, compare, and analyze, so as to understand the enterprise thoroughly and comprehensively, and put forward the image suggestion that the company needs.

Second, the performance of the image.

The image here is different from what is commonly referred to as VI and BI, or there is a breakthrough. First of all, it must be made clear that there is only one image and that consistency must be maintained. Although the foregoing has emphasized many times, given its extraordinary importance, it is repeated here again.

Then let's talk about the specific ways of image representation.

When it comes to CI image performance, our first reaction is always a formal pattern. Undoubtedly, patterns are the most commonly used, including standard colors, standard words, trademarks, and combinations and divergent application systems. And in fact, the use of patterns in CIs is almost equivalent to VI. There are too many examples in this area, such as Xerox's "X" and the white rabbit's big white rabbit image. However, in addition, there are many ways that you can develop and excavate and have great articles to do. For example, light can also be used to express image recognition. It is especially suitable for shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and other Russian-owned companies. From the perspective of scientific principles, light has a great influence on human physiological sense. There was once such a story: Someone opened a restaurant and business has been sluggish. One of his friends suggested that the hotel's red main light source be changed to yellow and green, and the business of the hotel would be booming. This shows that the impact of light on people cannot be ignored. In CI design, the treatment of light can also play the role of humanization and personality.

Although there is no voice recognition in the general CI theory, the use of voice recognition should not be unfamiliar to us. From Donald Duck’s “ah” to “more fishing on the side of the camp” to “fishing and fishing”, the cries of the full-fledged cow and cows “hush—” are all extremely characteristic and memoryful. Others such as special sound effects; music, songs, languages, etc., are still relatively numerous. When it comes to taste, I believe many of my friends must have thought of KFC and McDonald's. Strictly controlled recipes, choices of ingredients, and production procedures to produce consistently-delicious fried chicken legs, steak hamburgers, and specialty beverages. It is said that Ronghua Chicken and KFC were defeated. One of the important reasons was that the taste was out of control. Today it is salty, and it is lighter tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, it is sweeter, and it loses its characteristics and the image is scattered, eventually losing the market.

With the texture of the material to distinguish the image, Marlboro clothing can be considered to be its essence. Rough and delicate texture, like cashmere velvety leather, non-skin fabric, unique feeling, touch different - like, unforgettable.

There are also styles, ambiences, and plots, all of which are used for the performance of image recognition. Let's focus on BI here. There are two kinds of understanding about BI. First, from the perspective of image representation, we have seen a lot. Jianlibao is always associated with sports. Even the garments that are introduced are the names of gymnastics star Li Ning. Call Ogilvy & Mather's phone and you will surely hear a sweet voice: Hello, Ogilvy & Mather! Into the McDonald's hall, you can see a sincere smile everywhere, birthday children can also get the applause of all McDonald's employees. These are concrete examples of corporate image action recognition.

From another perspective, BI also includes the execution and implementation of CI. This leads to the third step of CI: image education and communication. This is an important part of turning ideas into reality. Having said so much image recognition, if there is no effective education and communication, everything can only be a castle in the air. Education and communication are relative in two aspects: Internally, all employees must be educated in CI, publicize the company’s philosophy, tell employees how to do it, how to say it, and how to laugh; externally, they must go through mass media and Efforts have been made to spread the corporate image and establish itself in the eyes of the public. The purpose of education is to ensure that CI is effectively and consistently implemented and implemented; communication is specifically directed at the situation of spreading the concept, means of communication, and underdeveloped communication techniques in order to express the importance of the region.

Often hear about the good and bad CI talk, in fact, all nonsense. What is the difference between good and bad? Propagation is much more, and what the public accepts is good. If it is not spread enough, it fails to establish an image. It can only be considered invalid, instead of simply using good and bad to judge. . No matter how good or bad the CI planning is, if there is no education in place, dissemination in place, and implementation in place, let alone the best CI and only the most suitable CI. What is important is that the image performance should fully reflect the concept of the image. It is predicted by the sign that it is the sum of the will of a business and the condensing of ideas. In the eyes of adults, the cross symbolizes the meaning of Rome, religion, and Jesus. In the eyes of children, it is just two wooden sticks that cross each other.

The introduction of the Japanese type CI must be performed strictly in accordance with the procedure. MI, VI, and BI will fail at the same time. Inverting the sequence, starting the BI design without MI and VI will also lead to failure. The correct procedure is: MI (idea) - VI (image) - MI (all employees ideological education) - BI (implementation); this program is short for two or three years, long for ten years and eight years, depending on the need set.

The speed of development of CI in our country is quite rapid. In a few short years, it has swept China and China. It is inevitable that some indigestion will occur. Companies such as the Chunlan Group and the Atheros Group took the lead in introducing some CIs. They have achieved great success and tremendous benefits, which has led many companies to move with emotions. What's more, students who are looking for art colleges design a set of patterns and claim to be importing CIs. The great posture of destroying CI as an instant noodle will of course be indigestion. Either halfway, resulting in great waste, or can not reflect the role of CI, leaving only complaints, but also a great waste. This indigestion, in turn, leads to the development of CI, one-sided emphasis on forms, and appearance, while ignoring CI's most fundamental soul: philosophy. How to import CI is far less important than why CI is introduced. It is like a doctor who first diagnosed the patient's cause and pathology, and then he can prescribe the right medicine and issue a prescription. In March of this year, when we talked to CI, the Chairman of Japan’s PAOS, the famous image design company of the Eastern Hemisphere, about CI, he explained the “OS” in the PAOS company name: “OS” is “open syspem” which is a medicine. The term, meaning "comprehensive consultation," is used as part of the name "PAOS", as well as open, comprehensive, multifaceted systems." This coincides with "How Lo <Why Lo". Companies importing CIs or preparing to import CIs should ask themselves: Why do I import CIs? What is the purpose of importing CIs? What kind of I need to do? I am determined to have the ability to import CIs and ensure that they are consistent. Continuous effective implementation? A must-have awareness