Branding

[kristian]

With the summer months approaching, I've already begun a concerted effort to complete projects that I've been putting off : redesigning old sites; creating new ones. I've completed a paysite and now I'm onto a new tgp. This brings me to something I'd like to discuss : branding.

Last night I was "researching" what will be competing tgps. I was instantly struck by the lack of branding. At least 90% of sites failed to create any visual brand whatsoever. Many had gone to the trouble to register witty domain names and not developed the identity any further.

It actually got kind of depressing. So many tgps and yet so little imagination or care was inherent in them. By the end of several hours, I was losing my faith in the quality and professionalism of our industry.

Then my brain caught up with the coffee.

I began contrasting many of these unknown tgps to well-known sites.

One of the main differences was branding - which is why I think it worth mentioning here.

In the porn world, these brands are like pepsi or levis :

Link-o-Rama
Shemp
Drbizzaro
Madthumbs
Smut Gremlins
Cleos-free-porn-links
and so on
and on
on
etc

In the collective mind of surfers, branding = quality. It also creates a mental association - through slogun, style or graphic images - that makes them remember and return.

I know all this is very basic. So it astounds me moreso that so few sites realise the worth of identity.

What does brading mean to you? Do you agree with my assessment or think I'm full of shit? What do you do to differentiate your sites from others? Can we all have a unique brand?

Let's hear ya!