When it comes to building a killer brand, one thing is non-negotiable—consistency. But how do you make sure your brand’s voice, visuals, and overall vibe ring true no matter the situation? For Push, it’s our Push Brand Filters™. By going through our positioning process, we identify the lenses through which your brand sees the world, and how the world sees your brand. They enable brands to tell a story that’s meaningful and cohesive.
From launching a new product to designing a campaign, brand filters guide every decision by defining who you are, and as importantly, who you are not. Despite how valuable our clients find them, we hear little chatter outside our four walls about the importance of strategically crafted brand filters.
While our particular process of crafting highly functional brand filters is proprietary, the basic principles are something we feel comfortable sharing, as we believe almost every brand would benefit from considering them.
What is a Brand Filter?
Push Brand Filters™ are decision-making tools that define your brand and its view of the world. They act as your go-to framework for staying aligned with your brand’s identity and your day-to-day execution. Whether you’re developing an activation, managing a crisis, or even just brainstorming a new menu offering, utilizing these filters ensures every move you make reflects who you are and what you stand for.
These guideposts ensure your audience gets a consistent experience, no matter when, where, or how they encounter your brand. This kind of consistency builds recognition, trust, and loyalty—and that’s the ultimate goal.
Research. Plan. Brand.
Start with a brand audit to get a clear picture of your core values, target audience, and what makes your brand unique. You should consider incorporating insights from market research, customer feedback, and internal workshops from different departments. Next, you will need to decide where you want your brand to live in the market and who you want to market it to. From there, you should align your mission, vision, and values to ensure everything feels true to your brand. If these do not live in harmony, your filters will not serve you properly.
Now you can get to work on defining your filters. Decide on four or five lenses that define your brand’s outlook on its place in the world. Then ask yourself if these filters can be used to help you generate, validate, and amplify any ideas you have for your brand. If yes, then come up with some indisputable guidelines that will ensure anyone and everyone who reads them will understand what that filter stands for. These filters should be clear to understand and easily referenced when making decisions.
Still Not Sure You’ve Got It?
How about an example. Let’s pretend you own a Pizza Restaurant called John’s Pizza and you want to develop brand filters. At Push we would utilize all the information we collected through our immersion, proprietary exercises and research, but for the sake of an example, let’s just say this was the background we were provided.
“Founded in 1982, John’s Pizza was born from a dream of sharing authentic Sicilian flavors with the community. John and his family wanted to preserve the rich culinary traditions passed down by their nonna, who cooked with love. Every dish on the menu is inspired by her time-honored recipes, ensuring that each bite transports customers straight to the warmth of her kitchen, where you always leave feeling full. We pride ourselves on being more than just a restaurant—it’s the heart of the neighborhood. We’re not just serving food; we’re building connections and making a difference, one pizza at a time.
At John’s Pizza, the goal is simple: to create a space where every guest feels like family, enjoying hearty meals made with love and tradition.”
We would then put pen to paper to define the business offerings of John’s Pizza are:
Based on those offerings and the background we gathered during a full immersion process, we decide that the brand filters are Keep it Real, which encapsulates authenticity, and our commitment to our Italian roots and family recipes, Eat the Last Slice which is about generosity and prioritizing guest experience, and Heart of the Community which is about giving back to the community that allows the brand to thrive.
Using these guideposts and the broader explanations you’d created for each, members of the John’s Pizza team can now use the filters to empower their choices when they’re generating, validating, and amplifying their ideas. For example:
Let’s Get Rolling.
Now that you understand the basics of crafting filters, it’s time to put them to work for your brand. kick things off by weaving them right into your brand guidelines and making sure everyone who needs them can find them easily. Next, give your team and partners a crash course on how to use these filters like pros. And don’t forget to regularly check your filters annually to ensure they still align with your business goals. This way, your brand voice, designs and decisions stay on point and make a real impact.
You’ll Know You’re Winning When..
When you nail consistent brand messaging across every channel, the results speak for themselves. You’ll see your brand recognition soar and build serious customer loyalty. You’ll also find your internal team members making smarter decisions because they’re not swimming in a sea of mixed messages. From social posts to menu designs, your brand will deliver on its brand promise consistently to anyone who interacts with it. It’s all about making your brand unmistakable and memorable.
Push Brand Filters™ are crucial tools for maintaining consistency and clarity across all brand touch-points. They’re like your brand’s personal GPS, keeping your voice, visuals, and vibe consistent and aligned with your core values and identity. By sticking to these filters, you ensure that everyone experiences your brand in the same awesome way, building trust and loyalty along the way. So, nail those filters, keep them strategic, and watch your brand recognition and customer love skyrocket.
Not sure where to start? Don’t sweat it, just reach out! Sometimes outside perspective is what’s needed to provide clarity, and we’d love to chat. ’Til then, take a look at some of the amazing brands we’ve built and the success they’ve seen.