*This article is a restructured version of Hydraft®’s consulting assets.
Preliminary Note 1: Brand identity is closely interconnected with concepts such as “substance,” “essence,” “philosophy,” and “core values.” Therefore, throughout the discussion that follows, the term “identity” should be understood as encompassing these concepts.
Preliminary Note 2: 브“Identity” and “consistency,” two fundamental pillars of brand building, are deeply interconnected and cannot be considered in isolation. Therefore, when discussing brand strategy, these two concepts should always be considered together.
Over the years, through consulting work with various companies, I have encountered a common question—and a common misconception—among many of my clients’ team members. So today, I would like to take a closer look at where this misconception comes from and, by developing a proper understanding of the concepts involved, explore one part of the broader strategic system we call “brand” in a little more depth.
As an aside, one member of a client organization once humbly said, “I don’t think I have a sufficient understanding of these concepts yet.” But I believe what matters most is the attitude of taking that first step, asking questions, and seeking to understand. After all, that kind of attitude is probably much closer to the kind of talent every organization aspires to have.
Now, returning to the main discussion, the common question I have encountered over the years is this:
“The market is constantly changing, so is it really right to fit our company’s identity into a single, fixed framework?”
And my usual response has been:
“I think a few different concepts may be getting mixed together. Identity and consistency are actually quite different from the idea of a fixed framework.”
So, drawing on my experience in the field, let’s take a closer look at where this misconception comes from, step by step. What we will discuss today is also closely connected not only to organizational management, but to customer communication in sales and marketing, as well as to “Value Seeding.” I believe this discussion may also be useful for those working in these areas.
I have tried to explain these ideas as clearly and accessibly as possible. However, because we are dealing with the deeper layers of a brand rather than its surface-level aspects, some parts may feel challenging. Rather than trying to take it all in at once, I hope you will take your time with it and, along the way, discover a more grounded perspective from which to understand brands.
First, one of the biggest misconceptions that arises in the process of developing a brand strategy is the tendency to confuse “consistency,” a concept that is almost inevitably associated with the word “identity,” with “uniformity.”
More specifically, the issue is that “consistency”—one of the key pillars of brand identity—is often understood as “making all conditions or formats the same.” This leads to the misconception that every element, from brand messaging and strategy to organizational culture, the desired qualities of employees, and design, must be managed within a fixed framework without exception.
A typical example would be the idea that the slogan “Just Do It” should appear exactly the same way across every communication touchpoint. However, the word that describes making certain elements conform to exactly the same format without exception is “uniformity..
In this context, we need to make a deliberate distinction between the brand identity itself and the ways in which that identity is expressed. The former is, for all practical purposes, unchanging, except when a brand effectively comes to the end of its life and is reborn as something new. The latter, by contrast, can change indefinitely, as long as the underlying context is maintained.
Therefore, the means through which a brand expresses itself—such as its logo, slogan, campaigns, and design—can change as much as necessary, as long as we determine that its consistency with the brand identity is being maintained. In fact, if a change allows that identity to be communicated more effectively, those means should continually improve and evolve.
Since it happens to be World Cup season, let’s use football as an example. Players wearing uniforms bearing the same emblem and displaying their squad numbers and names in the same typeface is a representative example of uniformity.
The word “uniform” itself comes from uni- (“one”) and form (“shape” or “form”), sharing the same etymological roots as “uniformity.” Yet these elements are merely means of expressing a team’s identity, which means they can change freely according to the times and circumstances.
By contrast, elements such as nationality, region, history, and culture are closer to an inherent identity, something that is given rather than deliberately created. The philosophy, culture, and style of play that develop from these foundations are accumulated consistently over time, further strengthening the team’s distinctive identity.
This is why, when we hear “Brazilian football,” we naturally associate it with a distinctive style of play represented by samba. Even when the means of expression change, the identity behind them—in other words, the substance—does not easily change.
Note: Tactics, coaches, coaching staff, and the composition of the squad are means through which that identity is realized.
The second misconception is confusing “consistency” with “inertia.” This is particularly easy to misunderstand because the two Korean terms share the same pronunciation, gwanseong. However, 관성 (慣性), which is used to describe the tendency to repeat established practices out of habit, has a completely different meaning from 일관성 (一貫性), the concept referred to as “consistency” in branding.
The [貫] in 일관성 (一貫性) refers to “piercing through” or “connecting” something continuously, while the [慣] in 관성 (慣性) refers to “habit” or “being accustomed to something.” When the “consistency” discussed in branding is mistakenly understood as “inertia,” it can therefore be reduced to “repeatedly delivering the same form or format.”
Inertia: I believe anyone who is genuinely forward-looking understands how negatively inertia can affect an organization. A reluctance to change long-standing rules that no longer serve their purpose, or the practice of continuing existing processes without questioning them, are typical examples.
Consistency: It refers to a state in which something remains connected through different situations and touchpoints without losing its underlying direction or center. In other words, inertia is a tendency to maintain the current state, whereas consistency is the tendency to preserve values and principles while remaining open to change. In this sense, the two concepts can actually be understood as almost opposite in nature.
That said, “inertia” itself is a neutral term used to describe a particular phenomenon, so it should not be misunderstood as an inherently negative word. For example, the most stable state of a given work process can be described as “temporary inertia.”
For the reasons discussed above, many people come to misunderstand “brand identity” as a single, fixed representation of a brand. In reality, however, the term “brand identity” emerged because it is difficult to list and explain, one by one at every customer touchpoint, the countless elements that make up a brand. Instead, these elements are brought together into a single, efficient, and condensed concept through which they can be communicated. Yet even among professionals working in the field, very few fully understand this.
For example, Apple’s well-known expression “Think Different” does not simply carry the linguistic, surface-level, or dictionary meaning of “think differently.” It also encapsulates Apple’s philosophy and history, consistently accumulated over many years, as well as its products and design, along with the countless contexts that have been shaped around the brand in the marketplace.
Let me emphasize this point once again: context is always a higher-order concept than surface-level meaning. What matters is not simply the meaning that appears before us, but understanding the context that lies behind the words and expressions we encounter.
As I explained earlier through Henri Bergson’s theories, linguistic expression is essentially nothing more than a tool for capturing and naming particular segments of a continuously changing flow of reality. What matters, therefore, is not the words or sentences themselves, but the context they contain.
And this is by no means limited to “brand identity.” From communication and problem-solving to product planning, organizational culture, and business strategy, everything we do ultimately involves understanding context—and these processes, in turn, contribute to the formation of brand identity.
For reference, even the “ID” we encounter in everyday life, such as in login forms and identification cards, is simply a way of representing our identity through the letters “ID,” which stand for identity or identification—an abbreviated representation of our many attributes, including our individuality, appearance, manner of speaking, personality, gender, and capabilities.
Another reason for this misconception is that many people understand a brand primarily as “visual expression.” This is understandable because, for most people, their first encounter with a brand comes through external expressions such as its logo, colors, slogan, or product design. The problem, however, is that this misconception can actually become a factor that undermines the performance of many companies.
Why is that? For one thing, fundamental elements such as corporate philosophy, brand identity, organizational culture, and the kind of talent an organization aspires to have are not visible, nor are they easy to measure quantitatively. As a result, they are also difficult to manage and improve.
By contrast, “visual expression elements” such as logos and design systems, KPIs such as sales and business performance, and “execution systems” such as operating processes and manuals are visible and relatively easy to measure. This makes them much easier to manage. And this is precisely where many companies make the same mistake.
They mistakenly believe that brand competitiveness can be maintained and strengthened simply by strictly adhering to design guidelines, standardizing processes, and managing the achievement of KPIs such as sales. As a result, organizations gradually begin to break down, as they devote more time and resources to managing visible forms of expression and execution systems than to the fundamental elements that actually shape the brand, such as philosophy, identity, and organizational culture.
Of course, these forms of expression and execution systems are also important in building brand reputation and brand equity. But we must remember that they are merely different “means”—they are not “the brand itself.”
One obvious point is that the less willing people are to understand the concepts discussed above, the stronger their resistance tends to be toward explicitly articulated forms of organizational culture, such as ideal employee profiles and culture decks.
This is largely because they interpret such documents as “codes of conduct” that suppress individual diversity and impose the same framework on everyone—in other words, as a form of “uniformity.” But explicitly articulated organizational culture does not exist to “standardize” people’s individuality or personalities. Rather, it exists to ensure that the direction an organization seeks to pursue is maintained with consistency.
In other words, it provides a shared framework through which everyone in the organization can consider, regardless of their role, expertise, or working environment, “What judgment or behavior would be more appropriate in light of the values and principles our organization considers important?”
Organizational culture, in practice, is formed, sustained, and developed only when this context is repeatedly applied and put into practice in the course of everyday work.
Today, I have explored the concepts of brand identity and consistency in some detail. However, a brand is not something that can be fully explained through a few definitions alone. For that reason, it would be difficult to fully grasp its complex mechanisms simply by reading this article once.
At the same time, brand identity is ultimately not so different from the rather casual question we might jokingly ask someone: “What are you, anyway?” What customers and the market are looking for is, surprisingly, quite simple. They are essentially asking: What does your company and product brand stand for? What matters most to you? And why did you bring these products and services into the world?
Therefore, when a customer asks, “Who are you, really?”, the way each member of an organization expresses the answer may differ somewhat. But the underlying answer should remain consistent, grounded in an understanding of substance, philosophy, core values, and other fundamental elements. This is what we mean by identity in the context of a brand.
To put it another way, understanding brand “identity” and maintaining “consistency” does not mean “everyone must work within the same framework” or “use exactly the same expression at every touchpoint.” It means that, even in different circumstances, we use the values and principles we consider important as a common frame of reference, and make decisions and take action consistently.
And when the results of those decisions and actions are consistently reflected across every customer touchpoint—from organizational decision-making, strategy, products, and services to design—customers can finally experience the brand identity in a meaningful way.
We call this “Brand Experience.”
I hope this discussion has helped make a little clearer what I have meant when I have repeatedly emphasized that we should develop products, build AI capabilities, and do our work with an understanding of “fundamental values.”
Thank you.
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