Touchpoints: Where’s the Favicon?

Since I didn’t touch on this in my first post, it’s probably important to let everyone know that I’m using Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler as my main reference for this independent study.

Anyhow, I tend to like her definition of “what is a brand?” According to Wheeler, a brand is the “promise, the big idea, and the expectations that reside in each customer’s mind about a product, service or company.” Unless and until I come to the conclusion that there is a better definition out there, we’ll use this when we refer to a brand.

Moving along… one of the first topics covered is “brand touchpoints.” Touchpoints are very simple to comprehend. A touchpoint is an opportunity in the process of conducting business to strengthen a brand and communicate its essence. For instance, a business card is a touch point. Billboards, websites, direct mail and proposals are all touch points. What about public affairs, advertising, packaging and networking? Yep. They’re all touchpoints. Any point of interaction with the customer – pre-purchase, purchase and post-purchase – is a touchpoint that presents an opportunity to further a brand.

An interesting concept suggested by Guy Smith is that “your brand, as perceived by the only legitimate judges—your customers—is the sum of all their interactions with your company.”

With all of this talk about touchpoints, I wanted to take a look at touchpoints in the context of the web and ask why in 2007 don’t more organizations use the favicon?

The favicon, short for ‘favorites icon’, is the 16 X 16 pixel web site icon that is located in the url address bar of your browser. This icon is also present next to the corresponding bookmark in your favorites or bookmarks list. To take a look at some favicons, go to Google, Microsoft, CNN or IBM. What do you notice in the address bar? A favicon. For closer to home examples, take a look at New Mexico Highlands University or UNM. Again, both web sites utilize the favicon.

However, go to Coca Cola, General Electric or Phillip Morris. What don’t you find? A favicon.

How can some of the most recognizable brands in the world still fail to utilize the favicon touchpoint?

Reference
Smith, Guy. "A Brand is the Sum of All Touchpoints." MarketingProfs.Com. 28 Sept. 2004. 17 May 2007 .