Every day, we're flooded with brands store windows, social media ads, radio slogans. Most blend together: the same visuals, the same calls to action. In this oversaturated world, how does a brand stay unique?

Branding expert Irina Pritsker, with 15+ years working with Casio and Seiko, and House of Sillage, has the answers.

How brands become recognizable

You can learn from brands that have been leaders for decades, like Seiko (140+ years) or Casio. They share key factors for resilience and recognition:

Clear identity. Brand identity must be demonstrated through actions, not just claims. Casio embodies this - G-Shock represents rugged reliability, while Edifice conveys precision, with both consistently reinforced through products and visuals.

Visual consistency. Even when updating design, brands maintain recognizable codes: watch form-factors, signature colors, typography. This allows them to remain identifiable even in new formats digital or offline.

Confident positioning. Brands don't chase trends; instead, they consistently and clearly transmit their values. For example, Casio builds its brand on reliability, technology, and functionality, and this honest, consistent communication fosters trust and loyalty among the audience.

Dialogue with the audience through context. G-Shock thrives in street culture while Seiko embodies Japanese craftsmanship, keeping both brands culturally relevant for decades.

Inspiring examples

We are all familiar with other brands that have remained distinctive for many years, and this is precisely what sustains their resilience and recognition.

Nike is one of the most vivid examples. It focuses not just on product, but on emotion, willpower, and overcoming. Their phrase "Just Do It" has long transcended advertising slogans to become a cultural code.

LEGO has maintained its identity despite decades of change. Its philosophy remains about imagination, freedom, and learning for both children and adults.

Coca‑Cola remains true to the idea of the "joy of the moment." Despite the simplicity of the product, the brand builds a powerful emotional connection through visual codes, music, and nostalgia.

Among lesser-known but striking examples:

Patagonia, a company with a clear ecological stance. It never sacrifices its values for trends, and speaks to its audience in the language of responsibility, not fashion.

Aesop, a cosmetics brand that stands out with ascetic packaging, literary tone, and attention to detail. It does not strive to be "loud," and this is precisely what makes it recognizable.

Hiut Denim, a small Welsh jeans brand that builds its entire story around craftsmanship and the idea of "making fewer, but better." They managed to create a powerful identity with almost no mass‑market tools.

These brands demonstrate that a unique path is achievable not only for giants. The key is clarity in positioning, honesty in communication, and respect for your audience.

Why does a brand need a story?

A compelling story creates an emotional connection and builds trust critical in today's oversaturated market. People don't just buy products; they buy into the why behind them: the founders, the mission, the values.

A brand's story can't be copied. It's a unique anchor in the consumer's mind, turning a faceless business into something relatable. This isn't just a "website section" it's a tool for loyalty. Trust in a brand is essential: surveys show that 4 out of 5 consumers admit they must feel trust in a brand to purchase its products.

Even B2B brands now embrace storytelling across their communications. When redesigning an energy company's website, we shifted from service listings to narratives about their purpose and infrastructure impact, which strengthened engagement and trust.

Design that works

Visual identity shapes 55% of first impressions (U.S. Chamber of Commerce). Every detail logo, colors, typography influences how consumers perceive a brand.

Every company wants its visual style to stand out from competitors while remaining clear and familiar to its target audience. Success lies in balancing creativity and consistency. Visuals shouldn't just be different they must reinforce the brand's strategy, values, and positioning.

Particularly effective tools include:

Design system: to maintain consistency across platforms without losing uniqueness.

Strong art direction: unique angles, signature patterns, original typography usage.

Unconventional UX/UI within audience tolerance, such as animations, asymmetry, or non‑standard grids when justified by the brand image.

Attention to detail: from icons to micro‑animations.

A practical case is our work on promo sites for Casio G‑Shock, where the emphasis was on visual energy using a dark palette, bright accents, strong contrast, and large typography. This made the site visually stand out among product showcases and aligned with the spirit of the brand. In the redesign of the B2B client's site in electrical engineering construction, the focus was on structure, technology, and transparency, with clear visual hierarchy, technical-document-style graphics, and strict colors. This not only distinguished the brand from competitors but also communicated its approach: professional, systematic and reliable.

Influencer marketing and its features

In 2024, 77% of consumers found influencer content more appealing than traditional ads, driving brands to actively collaborate with bloggers and social media personalities.

Source

However, influencer marketing is transforming as 50% of users grow skeptical of paid promotions, trusting personal recommendations over influencer content (GlobalWebIndex). The audience senses inauthenticity, gets tired of intrusiveness, and increasingly chooses genuine expression.

When discussing influencer marketing, several trends emerge:

It succeeds through relevance not celebrity as niche creators often outperform big names by leveraging their trusted audience relationships.

Brands now favor long-term influencer partnerships over one-off posts to forge authentic, story-driven connections.

Brands are prioritizing authentic customer and employee stories over polished influencer content to build genuine, multi-dimensional trust.

Does a brand need a "star face"?

Celebrity ambassadors can still add value to brands, but only when there's genuine alignment in values and strategy. Today, a famous face alone isn't enough - audiences carefully evaluate how authentically the ambassador represents the brand's essence.

Brands now prefer authentic ambassadors experts, activists, and employees over traditional celebrities, reflecting consumer demand for genuine connections over paid endorsements.

The most effective modern ambassadors share key qualities: credibility, strong value alignment with the brand, authentic engagement, and stable reputations free from controversy. In 2025's marketing environment, the ability to build genuine trust matters far more than raw fame or reach. Successful brands understand that their ambassadors should embody their values organically rather than simply providing celebrity exposure.

Where to find uniqueness? Many brands lose their uniqueness by blindly copying trends instead of adapting them to their core identity. While this may create a temporary "trendy" look, it ultimately makes them generic and forgettable. Audiences spot this inauthenticity, leading to eroded trust.

It's important not to chase trends, but to understand people's real needs: listen to them, study their behavior, speak their language, and be consistent in your values. Often, rejecting trends in favor of an honest and individual approach generates a much stronger emotional response.

True brand differentiation starts with introspection - uncovering existing uniqueness through a communication audit to identify authentic strengths versus competitor mimicry, forming the basis for distinctive positioning and expression.

Uniqueness is not about shock value or artificial "difference," but about honest reflection of essence. When positioning is grounded in true values, the brand speaks precisely, earns trust, and becomes recognizable. That is the path to a strong connection with the audience.