Brand Technology: The Tools

BrandTech encompasses the digital tools, platforms, and systems that assist organisations in overseeing their brand. These tools are instrumental in creating, managing, enhancing and quantifying a brand’s presence, identity and engagement across a multitude of channels – functions that have become critical in today’s digital business landscape. 

The BrandTech ecosystem 

To efficiently manage brand and ensure a consistent presence with cohesive communication, it is imperative to establish the right ecosystem. Simply put, this ecosystem is the interconnected network of technology tools, platforms and services employed by a business to manage its brand. 

The tools 

Within a BrandTech ecosystem, three primary categories of tools come into play: 

• Brand Management Platforms. These are comprehensive software solutions designed to help businesses maintain unified brand identity and messaging across all marketing and communication channels. Their features may include functions such as ensuring that a brand’s visual and verbal elements remain consistent across diverse media and touchpoints. 
• Brand Portals. These serve as digital platforms where businesses centralise the management of and access to all their brand-related assets, resources and information. These portals act as hubs for brand assets like logos, marketing collateral, templates and guidelines, streamlining both internal and external communication and collaboration. 
• Communication Hubs. These encompass tools or platforms that facilitate internal and external communication for a brand or organisation. Such hubs often include various communication channels, including email, chat, collaboration tools and more, and are designed to enhance efficiency and coordination among team members. They also have the benefit of ensuring effective and transparent communication within the organisation and with external stakeholders. 

Three types of BrandTech tools 

These tools can be further categorised into three groups: 

• Insight tools. These tools provide a unique lens which organisations can use to decipher market shifts and consumer behaviours. They empower brand owners to anticipate trends, enabling data-driven decisions that guide the brand purposefully. By analysing user data and interactions, insight tools like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) offer valuable insights into customer behaviour, helping businesses cultivate more meaningful and stronger connections. With the capability to analyse user interactions, insight tools are instrumental in predicting market and consumer need shifts, visualising business intelligence and enabling brands to adapt more efficiently and effectively.  
• Efficiency tools. Managing change is about more than mere anticipation; it is about efficient adaptation. Tools like Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems streamline operations, enabling brand owners to rapidly repurpose brand assets to suit evolving digital platforms.  
• Engagement tools. The ability to engage in real-time is a paramount asset in the ever-shifting digital environment. BrandTech tools, such as Content Management Systems (CMS), offer the agility to curate and distribute content effectively, allowing businesses to capitalise on opportunities arising from dynamic market trends.  

While having the right BrandTech tools is critical, it is equally important to have the right people to utilise these tools effectively. 

Many organisations underestimate that tools are used by people, so the focus shouldn’t stop at merely training them but also ensuring that they remain sufficiently engaged to continue to utilise the tools. With the right tools and processes in place and the right guidance and motivation for the people using them, you should reap the benefits of an effectively communicated brand. 

For further insights on BrandTech, you can explore more here.