Why consistency is the foundation of brand success
By Simon Middleton, Senior Writer, ProVeg International
Brand owners and managers sometimes feel an overwhelming urge to change things – from logo to colours to the tone of voice and even the products themselves. This urge can arise when they feel disconnected from their own brand, or out of desperation to fix something they perceive as broken. At times, it’s driven by advice from a consultant or agency keen to prove their worth. Yet one of the most vital, though often overlooked aspects of successful branding is consistency: in other words, not changing things.
From the visual identity to the tone of voice, great brands maintain coherence and consistency across all touchpoints, creating a dependable and recognisable brand experience for consumers. In the plant-based food sector, where trust and loyalty are essential, brand consistency can be the difference between success and failure. Let’s explore why consistency matters, how it builds trust and recognition, and how plant-based brands can learn from positive and negative examples across industries.
Why consistency is crucial in branding
Consistency builds brand trust
One of the most significant reasons for maintaining consistency in branding is that it fosters trust. Consumers tend to trust brands that appear stable and reliable over extended periods. In my book, Build A Brand In 30 Days, I emphasise that trust is one of the key elements in forming long-lasting consumer relationships. Brands that deliver a consistent message, tone, and visual identity signal their audience that they are dependable. In the plant-based sector, where ethical considerations and transparency are top of mind for consumers, trust is critical.
Unified messaging strengthens brand identity
Mark Ritson, a prominent brand and marketing expert, has long advocated for the importance of unified messaging. He argues that brands must resist the urge to constantly chase trends or make radical changes in messaging and appearance. Instead, a consistent tone of voice and design allows consumers to recognise a brand and understand its values. When a plant-based brand stays true to its core message – whether it’s about sustainability, health, or ethical consumption – it strengthens its identity, helping it connect more deeply with consumers.
Consistent visuals enhance brand recognition
According to Byron Sharp, brand growth is largely driven by how easy it is for consumers to recognise a brand. Sharp’s emphasis on distinctive brand assets (such as logos, colours, packaging, and taglines) underscores the idea that brand recognition is built on repeated exposure to consistent sensory signals. It’s not just visual aspects, of course: think of the distinctive audio logos of brands like Intel and Netflix.
For plant-based brands, using the same sensory cues over time ensures that when a consumer makes decisions at the supermarket, your product stands out as familiar and trusted.
Lessons from iconic brands: BMW, Apple, Flora, Heinz
BMW: the power of subtle evolution
BMW is an excellent example of a brand that has maintained consistency while subtly evolving over decades. Its iconic blue-and-white round logo has remained a symbol of quality and performance, even as the design has been modernised. The company’s tone of voice – focused on performance, precision, and luxury – has stayed consistent, reinforcing its identity as a premium brand. BMW understands that even subtle shifts in its design and messaging must still align with its established brand values.
Apple: building a brand on consistency
Apple has become a master of consistency, particularly in its minimalist design philosophy and tone of voice, which always emphasises the combination of innovation and user-friendly simplicity. From product packaging to advertising campaigns, the Apple brand is immediately recognisable. Even when the company has introduced new products or made significant technological shifts, the overall feel and messaging have remained cohesive. This consistency has helped Apple maintain its position as the most valuable brand in the world.
Heinz: unchanging visual cues
Heinz is another brand that shows the power of visual consistency. Its ketchup bottle, with its unique shape and iconic label, has barely changed in decades. Heinz’s commitment to maintaining the same packaging design reinforces its status as a household staple. Even subtle updates to the label design have been carefully considered to avoid losing the core recognition factor.
Flora: a lesson in consumer backlash
Consistency isn’t just about visual style – it also extends to the product itself. Flora, the hugely popular margarine brand, learned this lesson the hard way when it attempted to change its product offering without properly considering all of its audiences. In 2019, Flora reformulated its entire line to make all its spreads 100% plant-based, responding to rising consumer demand for vegan products. However, a year later, the company reintroduced buttermilk into its Flora Buttery product due to consumer complaints that the new formula didn’t match the original taste.
The problem was that the people who wanted back the ‘buttery’ taste they perceived as having been taken away were greatly outnumbered and nowhere near as passionate as those who were upset by the reintroduction of dairy into what they believed to be a plant-based brand. Flora’s decision to make the U-turn sparked a strong backlash from the vegan community, leading to petitions and negative feedback. Flora quickly realised that the inconsistency between its plant-based messaging and the reintroduction of dairy was confusing and was undermining customer loyalty. Eventually, Flora reversed course again, making its entire range vegan once more by 2023.
This example highlights the risks of deviating from your brand’s core identity. Flora’s brief switch disrupted the trust it had built with its plant-based consumers and demonstrates how damaging inconsistency can be when it conflicts with a brand’s established values. This lesson comes from a brand that otherwise applies the rules of consistency throughout its gradual packaging design evolution.
Consistency in the plant-based sector
In the plant-based sector, where the market is growing rapidly and competition is fierce, consistency is even more important. Brands like Beyond Meat and Oatly have made significant changes to their visual identities in order to stand out, but have since remained ruthlessly consistent. Beyond Meat’s 2016 rebrand, which introduced bold packaging and cohesive design elements, was aimed at setting the brand apart and highlighting its ‘real food’ appeal. Since then, Beyond Meat has used this consistent visual identity and messaging to build emotional connections with its customers.
Similarly, Oatly revamped its look to create a playful, bold, and irreverent tone, which has made the brand instantly recognisable and completely distinct from anything else in the market. But since this dramatic shift, Oatly has maintained a consistent tone and visual style across all channels, helping it stand out in the crowded plant-based milk market.
On the flip side, some plant-based brands have suffered from inconsistency. A dramatic shift in packaging or a sudden change in messaging can confuse customers and lead to a decline in brand loyalty. When a brand fails to deliver a unified experience across all consumer touchpoints, it risks diluting its brand identity.
Practical action points for brand leaders
- Maintain a consistent tone of voice
Develop a tone of voice that reflects your brand’s values and purpose, and ensure it remains consistent across all communications – whether on social media, in advertising, or customer service. - Use consistent visual elements
Identify distinctive brand assets, such as your logo, colour palette, and packaging design, and ensure these elements remain uniform across all consumer touchpoints. - Evolve gradually, not radically
If your brand requires a refresh, make subtle, gradual changes that align with your existing identity. Radical shifts in messaging or design can confuse consumers and undermine the trust you’ve built. - Test changes with your audience
If you are certain you need to make significant changes, test them with your core audience before you go live! Your audience often has unique insights into your brand, and their feedback can be invaluable. - Align all channels
Ensure your branding remains consistent across all platforms – from your website and social media to your in-store presence. Every interaction a consumer has with your brand should reinforce the same message and identity.
Remember: in brand-building consistency beats novelty
Consistency is the backbone of a strong brand. It builds trust, enhances recognition, and creates a unified identity that resonates with consumers. For plant-based brands, where authenticity and transparency are key, maintaining consistency in tone, messaging, and design is essential – once you’re satisfied that you have a brand that is distinctive and compelling. As brands like BMW, Apple, and Heinz have shown, subtle changes can keep up with the times without damaging the brand, but radical shifts can lead to confusion and loss of loyalty.
Finally, remember this is not an argument for never changing – but only for doing so when there will be real advantages, and then doing it super-carefully!
For more insights on building a consistent and strong brand, get in touch with our ProVeg experts at [email protected] and subscribe to our newsletter.
Stay tuned for my next article, which will explore how to create and use distinctive brand assets to build your plant-based brand.
