Branding 101 – Why Branding?

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The term “branding” comes from the old practice of permanently marking livestock to identify ownership. Branding simply is the act of leaving an impression, which is applicable in any walk of life. It’s what happens when you make a move on the cutie next door or execute a series of strategies in the markets.  In both cases, you create awareness and generate an impression.  This is impression is your brand.  Intelligent marketers understand this and make decisions and implement strategies that generate intended impressions, which generate intended results.

Your logo is not your brand.

Neither is your product, or your service. Many people confuse branding and brand management with logo design or the colours on their business cards. The greatest logo cannot save a company that has a poor brand image. “The psychological aspect, sometimes referred to as the brand image, is a symbolic construct created within the minds of people and consists of all the information and expectations associated with a product or service.” Your brand is more than the sum of your products, services, and advertisement creative. Your brand is the feelings your audience get when they hear your company name on the radio or see your logo on a billboard.  A simple test of reading the next several brand names will help you appreciate the power a brand has on invoking an emotion.

Brand Experience

All of the above signs, images and logos invoke an emotion. Good or bad, that is what branding is at the core.  Aside from the creative advertising of your brand or logo, your everyday actions in your industry, market place and community, contribute to the overall perception of your brand. In most cases, a logo or font change will not alter your feelings about Nazi Germany nor Enron.

So how do I enhance my brand?

A change of branding must start at the core of your company (or heart of the individual). An improvement in fonts, logo and colour compositions should be viewed as representations of change, but not change itself. Failing to change at the core is why many companies fail, regardless of improving their logo design. That’s where Brand Management comes in.

Brand Management

Without a proper strategy, most branding efforts fail to create desired results.  In fact, the undesirable impressions that ineffective branding create become much more difficult and expensive to alter than to have invested heavily during the research and strategy stage.

“People engaged in branding seek to develop or align the expectations behind the brand experience, creating the impression that a brand associated with a product or service has certain qualities or characteristics that make it special or unique. A brand is therefore one of the most valuable elements in an advertising theme, as it demonstrates what the brand owner is able to offer in the marketplace. The art of creating and maintaining a brand is called brand management. Orientation of the whole organization towards its brand is called brand orientation.”

An example of great brand management is President Barack Obama’s campaign efforts in the 2009 US elections. Everything from Obama’s HOPE logo, print material, web and social media presence and even his speeches were finely tuned to be consistent and coherent with the brand image that he and his party wanted to communicate.

Successful Branding = New Markets

Good branding is crucial in any sector that follow the rules of supply and demand. That’s almost all human and business interactions. Great branding can equate to new demands that only your company can supply. Only few companies recognize this, while many fail to see the endless possibilities, while smart companies understand and exploit this. Apple is a great example of a successful brand managed company. The demand that Apple has created can only be served by the company itself. The barriers to entry are extremely difficult to break. As the company’s array of products and services continue to diversify, its fan base also increases and strengthens. Competitors that attempt to imitate Apple’s product designs are merely labelled as knock-offs, and very little to no attention is paid.

3 Simple steps to start the ball rolling.

1] Not understanding what branding is and underestimating the importance of it is where most companies and individuals fail. Appreciating and being aware that good and bad branding exists is the first step you can take.
2] Second, and probably most important, you must understand what it is that you are selling and how it differs from your competitors. What makes your widget spectacular and worth praise? Is it your prices? Quality? Heritage? Style? A common mistake amongst marketers, designers and business owners is the development of creative that does not compliment what it is their selling. Prior to pumping out your next business cards, make sure the creative correspond to your industry, service and product.
3] To begin effectively branding your company you must understand your audience. It’s not sufficient to say I’d like to sell more doohickies to people.  In-depth analysis and research efforts will help you understand your industry, competitors and your target audience. When conducting research and industry analysis, the big-boys (and girls) go as far as assigning names and characteristics to help them get personal with their market segment: “Meet Jim and Sally. They are between 28 and 34 years of age. They live in a modern townhouse in a trendy urban area. They enjoy tennis and prefer going to a musical rather than the cottage. Their favourite colours of doohickies are…” It’s not hard to imagine how much easier it is to develop and communicate your brand once you understand whom it is you’re speaking to.

Lastly, Be Honest

It is important to be honest with yourself when examining your current position in the markets.  Whether your products are B.U.M. equipments or Holt Renfrew labels, incorrect self/company analysis will result in incorrect efforts when communicating to your market.  This can lead to your branding efforts resulting in little or no attention. Worse: the wrong or incorrect attention.  When done right, branding helps you differentiate yourself, your company, product or service from competition. Great branding opens up opportunities that only you and your company can take advantage of. Lastly, don’t be afraid of investing money in professional consultation in both your strategy and creative. Superior creative and branding is what enabled Apple to stand up against Microsoft.