Industrial branding connects a company’s promises with the customer’s experience when purchasing, using, and maintaining its products. Marc Morillas, CEO of Morillas, discusses with Edgar Guerrero how to build that consistency and how to communicate a comprehensive engineering offer encompassing various services. Chapter 29 of “Toque de Ingenio” provides a valuable perspective for product design companies, manufacturers, and industrial businesses that need to better articulate their value.
Guest: Marc Morillas, CEO of Morillas.
Interview published: November 25, 2024. Episode: 29. Duration: 1 hour 37 minutes
In this episode:
- Why a visual identity needs to be supported by a consistent product and service experience.
- How to adapt messaging when a company is working with different industrial audiences.
- What is the relationship between positioning, design, trust, and measuring brand value?
The conversation includes examples from various brands and an analysis of i-mas’s own offering. It’s an interview from November 2024: the references to companies, channels, and projects reflect that specific time. The focus is on the positioning and user experience decisions that can accompany industrial development, going beyond a specific campaign.
What does it mean to build a brand for an industry?
Marc argues that a brand is a perception that develops through successive interactions. The name and visual design are part of this, but so too are the company’s behavior, the quality of service, and the user’s experience with the product.
This definition has a direct application in industry. An organization can present itself as precise, agile, or close; these words gain meaning when a client requests a quote, receives documentation, installs equipment, or asks for assistance. The brand is built throughout this complete journey.
Marc indicates that:
“Creating a brand involves investing time”.
Marc Morillas 6:31.
Consistency matters because recognition doesn’t arise from a single impression. To maintain it, the company needs to define a direction, communicate it consistently, and sustain it with evidence. Constantly changing the message makes it difficult for the market to understand what it can expect.
In the product design and development, That address helps with prioritization. The ease of use, the finishes, or the way technical information is presented should align with the desired positioning and the problem the user needs to solve.
The product experience lends credibility to the promise.
Edgar and Marc discuss the potential distance between a marketing campaign and the actual customer service experience. They use everyday scenarios to illustrate how a frustrating interaction can undermine the message being conveyed through communication.
For an industrial company, this equivalent might manifest as a confusing installation, a difficult interface, or maintenance that requires addressing preventable problems. These are decisions driven by user experience, but also by engineering. They materialize as components, instructions, displays, and procedures.
Because of this, industrial branding can function as a consistency question throughout the project: does the product allow us to live the promise we’re making? If a solution is presented as simple, the development team needs to define what “simplicity” actually means for those who configure or use it.
El UX/UI design for physical and digital products Help to strengthen that relationship. The aim is to understand tasks and users, organize information, and facilitate actions. A recognizable appearance adds value when it also allows the product to be used clearly.
Communicating engineering services to diverse audiences.
One of the most specific passages in the episode appears when Edgar outlines the two main areas of i-mas: the development of products and applied engineering for industrial processes. He explains that both areas share technical capabilities, although they respond to different needs and purchasing criteria.
An entrepreneur who wants to turn an idea into a product needs to understand the path from concept to prototype and manufacturing. A plant manager might be looking for automation, quality inspection, or a specific improvement to their process. Presenting both of them with a very general description makes it difficult for them to recognize their specific problem.
Marc suggests focusing on analyzing audience data first, and then determining how to structure the communication strategy. A brand may require different approaches – such as specific routes, tailored messages, or distinct webpages. Creating sub-brands is another possibility, but this demands a strategy and resources; it’s not simply achieved through adding an additional logo.
The central idea is:
“It’s important to really understand what audiences are interacting with your business”.
Marc Morillas 1:21:10.
This analysis provides a useful foundation for organizing an industrial website. A page about Industrial automation and machine vision He must explain what problems it solves in practice. A product design page needs to illustrate another user journey. The connection between services can exist without requiring the visitor to understand the entire organization.
Positioning, differentiation, and pricing.
Marc explains that a recognizable brand can influence how the market values an offer. The conversation relates to perception, differentiation, and willingness to pay, without reducing branding to a purely visual exercise.
In technical products, differentiation needs to be based on understandable features and experiences. Simply stating that a solution is “innovative” isn’t enough; it’s more effective to explain what tasks it simplifies, what problems it avoids, or how it integrates into the customer’s activities.
The episode itself allows us to apply this criterion to industrial language. Terms like “quality” or “comprehensive service” become more precise when accompanied by a scope: such as mechanical design, electronics, prototypes, industrialization, or support. This allows the user to connect the promise with the actual decisions they need to make.
Edgar’s proposal for i-mas involves guiding a project from its initial concept through to the final manufactured product. Its value lies in demonstrating the continuity between the different stages. To ensure this promise is fulfilled, each project requires clearly defined scope and responsibilities, rather than an open-ended interpretation of the word “integral.”
How to assess brand value beyond interactions.
During the interview, it’s distinguished between digital activity metrics and measuring brand perception. Marc explains that a number of interactions can indicate a fleeting interest, but it doesn’t, on its own, reveal a company’s loyalty or its position in the customer’s mind.
It also mentions research tools that link brand strength and pricing strategy. The practical point is to define what you want to know before choosing a metric. Measuring traffic, satisfaction, and consideration address different questions.
A engineering firm can apply this distinction to its content. A helpful article should assist the reader in understanding a technical problem and identifying the appropriate service. Following this, related inquiries, contacts, and projects can be observed; a single increase in website visits doesn’t explain the overall result.
The episode doesn’t present a formula that guarantees increased sales through brand investment. Instead, it suggests a consistent approach and a study of how engagement with audiences evolves. Measurement should accompany this process and take into account the specific context of the business.
Questions regarding industrial branding and product development.
What is the relationship between branding and industrial design?
The brand makes a promise, and the product contributes to fulfilling it. Materials, usage, interface, documentation, and after-sales support are all part of the experience. Consistency in these decisions helps the customer understand and recognize the value of the offer.
Does a company offering multiple services need multiple brands?
The interview provides no universal answer. Marc suggests first analysing audiences, their needs and their differences. Specific messages and user journeys can then be organised; a sub-brand requires its own strategy and resources.
How should i-mas explain its services to an industrial client?
Connecting each capability with a specific need – developing a product, building a prototype, integrating electronics, or automating a process – the pages and examples should help to identify the appropriate scope within a coherent engineering offer.
Four lessons for a product or engineering company.
- Define what perception you want to create and maintain through genuine customer experience.
- Organize the messages according to the specific problems and decisions of each audience.
- Integrating usage, documentation, and support into the discussion around product design.
- Choosing metrics that align with the business objective and the knowledge required.
At i-mas, in industrial design, engineering, and prototyping, we can transform a product concept into concrete decisions. If you’re planning a new development, you can Please explain your idea and the target audience. To define the next step.
To continue reading: Design of a perfume bottle: Octane Fragrances’ project.
Source of article: Interview with Edgar Guerrero and Marc Morillas on “Toque de Ingenio,” published on November 25, 2024. The quotes link to the video; the connection to i-mas’s service architecture is presented as an editorial summary.
