You don't build a brand with just a logo

You order a logo from a design agency. You don’t order a brand. Yet these two are still surprisingly often confused with one another. Maybe that’s because we like to stick with what we know. My personal favorite? ‘But we’ve been doing it that way for years.’ As soon as I hear that phrase, alarm bells go off in my head.

When I started at Verano® a few years ago as a marketing assistant, I hit the jackpot: I got to work on great campaigns, brochures, and social media. Now, as a Brand Marketer, I’m responsible for how the Verano® brand presents itself. And along the way, I’ve come to realize that a brand actually has surprisingly little to do with a logo, font, or color choices. A brand is reflected in the choices you make every day.

These choices raise one simple question: Why are we actually doing this? Yet, just a little too often, the same answer comes up: “But that’s how we’ve been doing it for years.” But is that because it’s still the best solution? Or because no one remembers why we ever started doing it in the first place? That difference is bigger than you think, and our industry is no exception. We love to talk about fabric qualities, motors, collections, and technical innovations. That makes sense, because that’s what we’re good at. But meanwhile, the world around us is changing faster than ever. Anyone who thinks brand-building starts with a logo and a brochure probably still has a fax number on their business card.

The showroom in your pocket

Consumers who eventually walk into our partners’ showrooms have often already spent hours searching online. They’ve read reviews, found inspiration, and maybe even used AI to figure out which type of window covering or brand best suits their needs. The first showroom is no longer located on the outskirts of an industrial park. It fits right in your pocket.

That’s why I believe we don’t just sell sun protection. We sell comfort. Shade on a hot summer day. Privacy. Energy savings. Ultimately, no one opens their wallet for a cassette awning, but for the solution (and the brand) that best fits their lifestyle.

Investing in a consumer brand

That doesn’t mean, however, that manufacturers suddenly have to serve consumers themselves. On the contrary. At Verano®, we work through a network of partners. They provide advice, take measurements, and handle installation. Ultimately, they’re the ones who make the difference at the kitchen table or in the showroom. But that’s precisely why we also invest in a strong consumer brand—not to bypass our partners, but to help them. If someone walks into the showroom already feeling positive about a brand, the conversation simply starts differently. To use a soccer analogy—since the World Cup is unmissable—we’re happy to make the cross, and our partners then head it in.

To me, that’s what brand-building is all about. Not a logo, but people who live up to the same promise every day. And maybe it all starts with a simple question—the next time someone says, “But we’ve been doing it that way for years.”