BRAND STRATEGY
9 MIN READ
NOVEMBER 20, 2025
LEO LARGILLET
EVERY BRAND WANTS TO BE MEMORABLE. FEW UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT ACTUALLY REQUIRES.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BRAND THAT FADES INTO NOISE AND ONE THAT BECOMES IRREPLACEABLE IS NOT FOUND IN CLEVER TAGLINES OR BEAUTIFUL LOGOS. IT IS FOUND IN THE EMOTIONAL ARCHITECTURE BENEATH THE SURFACE.
AT COULEUR BLANCHE, WE HAVE SPENT YEARS STUDYING WHY CERTAIN BRANDS FEEL INEVITABLE WHILE OTHERS FEEL FORCED. THE ANSWER ALWAYS RETURNS TO THE SAME PRINCIPLE: GREAT BRANDS DO NOT COMMUNICATE. THEY RESONATE.
THE PROBLEM WITH RATIONAL BRANDING
Most branding agencies approach identity design as a logical exercise. They analyse competitors, identify market gaps, and construct brands that "position" well on paper. The result? Brands that make perfect strategic sense but fail to move anyone.
Consider the luxury market. Every high-end brand can claim quality, craftsmanship, and exclusivity. These rational differentiators have become table stakes. They are the entry fee, not the competitive advantage.
The brands that truly dominate, the ones that inspire genuine devotion and command premium pricing, operate on an entirely different level.
They have mastered the art of emotional branding.
PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU SAID, PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU DID, BUT PEOPLE WILL NEVER FORGET HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
— MAYA ANGELOU
WHAT EMOTIONAL BRANDING ACTUALLY MEANS
Emotional branding is not about being dramatic or sentimental. It is about understanding that human decision-making is fundamentally emotional, even when we pretend it is rational.
Neuroscience has confirmed what great brand builders have always intuited: we make decisions with our limbic system (emotions) and then rationalise them with our prefrontal cortex (logic). The brand that wins the emotional battle wins the customer. The rational justification follows.
This understanding transforms how we approach every project. Instead of asking "What should this brand say?" we ask "How should this brand feel?"
FEATURED CASE STUDY
LUMIÈRE D'AILLEURS
SEE HOW WE ELEVATED FRENCH ARTISAN JEWELLERY TO LUXURY POSITIONING.
THE THREE PILLARS OF EMOTIONAL RESONANCE
Through years of practice, we have identified three essential elements that create genuine emotional connection:
PILLAR ONE: AUTHENTICITY OVER ASPIRATION
The most powerful brands do not project an idealised version of themselves. They reveal their true nature. When we worked on Sibelle, a health platform for women with PCOS, we did not try to minimise the chaos of the condition. Instead, we embraced it.
Sibby the cat became a symbol of everything unpredictable about PCOS. Chaotic, impossible to control, but ultimately part of the journey. This authentic acknowledgment of struggle created far deeper connection than any aspirational messaging could achieve.
Authenticity requires vulnerability. It means admitting imperfections rather than hiding them. Paradoxically, this vulnerability creates strength.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
SIBELLE
SEE HOW WE EMBRACED CHAOS TO CREATE AUTHENTIC CONNECTION FOR WOMEN WITH PCOS.
PILLAR TWO: SPECIFICITY OVER GENERALITY
Vague emotional appeals ("We care about you") ring hollow. Specific emotional truths resonate. The difference between a forgettable brand and an unforgettable one often comes down to the precision of its emotional targeting.
Nordic Soleil did not just claim to blend technology and humanity. It specifically channelled the warmth of Southern France, the precision of Japan, and the minimalism of Scandinavia. Three distinct emotional signatures that combine into something singular and memorable.
Generic emotions are forgettable. Specific emotions are irreplaceable.
PILLAR THREE: CONSISTENCY OVER INTENSITY
Emotional branding is not about creating one powerful moment. It is about sustaining a coherent emotional experience across every touchpoint. Typography, colour, spacing, voice, imagery. Every element must contribute to the same emotional truth.
When even one element breaks the emotional consistency, the spell is broken. Trust erodes. The carefully constructed feeling dissolves.
This is why brand guidelines matter so much. Not as bureaucratic constraints, but as emotional guardrails.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
NORDIC SOLEIL
EXPLORE HOW WE BLENDED THREE CULTURAL INFLUENCES INTO ONE DISTINCTIVE IDENTITY.
THE UNEARTHING PROCESS
At Couleur Blanche, we believe great brands are not built. They are unearthed. Every organisation has an authentic emotional core waiting to be discovered. Our job is not to invent that core. It is to find it, clarify it, and express it with precision.
This philosophy shapes our entire process:
DEEP LISTENING
Before we design anything, we listen. Not just to what clients say about their brand, but to how they say it. The pauses. The enthusiasm. The stories they return to again and again. These reveal emotional truths that briefs never capture.
EMOTIONAL MAPPING
We create detailed maps of the emotional landscape we are working with. What feelings does the brand naturally evoke? What emotions does the target audience crave? Where do these intersect? The answers guide every design decision.
ITERATIVE REFINEMENT
Emotional resonance cannot be achieved in a single attempt. We present concepts, observe reactions (not just opinions), and refine until the emotional response aligns with our intentions.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: THE SENSORY AUDIT
One exercise we recommend for any brand is the sensory audit. Answer these questions honestly:
If your brand were music, what would it sound like? If it were a texture, what would touching it feel like? If it were a temperature, would it be warm or cool? If it were a time of day, when would it be? If it were a season, which one?
These questions bypass rational analysis and access emotional truth. The answers should feel consistent. If your brand is "morning" but also "velvet" but also "winter," something is emotionally incoherent.
Use these insights to evaluate every design decision. Does this typeface feel like morning? Does this colour palette feel like velvet? Emotional consistency is built through hundreds of small decisions that all point the same direction.
FEATURED CASE STUDY
SANTORI
DISCOVER HOW WE PROTECTED MYSTERY RATHER THAN CREATING IT FOR SANTORI.
IF YOUR CUSTOMER BUYS ONCE, YOU MADE A SALE. IF THEY COME BACK, YOU BUILT TRUST. IF THEY TELL OTHERS, YOU BUILT A BRAND.
— STEVE JOBS
THE COMMERCIAL REALITY
Some view emotional branding as a luxury. Something nice to have if budget allows. This is backwards thinking.
Emotional branding is the most commercially powerful tool available. It creates:
PRICE PREMIUM
Emotional connection justifies higher prices. People pay for feelings. A Rolex tells time no better than a Casio, but it makes you feel different. That feeling is worth thousands.
LOYALTY
Emotionally connected customers become advocates. They recruit for you. They defend you. They forgive your mistakes. This loyalty cannot be bought through discounts.
RESILIENCE
Emotionally bonded customers forgive mistakes. Rationally-attached customers leave at the first better offer. In competitive markets, emotional bonds are your moat.
DISTINCTIVENESS
In crowded markets, emotional differentiation is often the only differentiation possible. When products are similar, feelings decide.
The return on emotional branding investment is not just measurable. It is often the highest-ROI investment a company can make.
THE TRUTH ABOUT MEMORABLE BRANDS
CREATING A BRAND THAT PEOPLE REMEMBER IS NOT ABOUT BEING LOUDER, MORE PROVOCATIVE, OR MORE CREATIVE THAN COMPETITORS. IT IS ABOUT BEING MORE TRUE. MORE PRECISELY, EMOTIONALLY TRUE.
THE BRANDS WE REMEMBER ARE THE ONES THAT MADE US FEEL SOMETHING SPECIFIC. SOMETHING REAL. SOMETHING WE COULD NOT QUITE ARTICULATE BUT IMMEDIATELY RECOGNISED.
AT COULEUR BLANCHE, WE HAVE BUILT OUR ENTIRE PRACTICE AROUND THIS PRINCIPLE. WE DO NOT CREATE BRANDS. WE UNEARTH THEM. WE FIND THE EMOTIONAL TRUTH THAT ALREADY EXISTS AND EXPRESS IT WITH THE PRECISION AND BEAUTY IT DESERVES.
BECAUSE IN THE END, PEOPLE DO NOT CHOOSE BRANDS. THEY CHOOSE FEELINGS. AND THE BRANDS THAT UNDERSTAND THIS WIN.
IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR BRAND HAS AN EMOTIONAL CORE WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED, WE SHOULD TALK.
EMOTIONAL BRANDINGLUXURY BRANDINGBRAND STRATEGYIDENTITY DESIGNBRAND PSYCHOLOGY