Branding By Thinking

Brand management is a systematic process involving management activities, from brand positioning, brand quality, brand culture, brand personality building, brand public relations and extension, etc. SMEs must know how to implement brand strategies. Effective brand management is not a short-term fix to business success, rather a long-term strategy that requires commitment. If implemented effectively, a brand will grow stronger and develop as the company grows. It may also evolve as the consumer becomes more and more comfortable with brand. And there are many paths to this. The employees of a company will help drive this progression, as they are the ones that have the most at stake. The company may also find that it has to attract a certain type of employee based on its brand values. And the brand will also evolve based on customer interactions and feedback should be utilized as often as possible so the company knows it is on the right track. The best way to do this is:

• Assess competitors and see what they are doing RIGHT
• Ask unhappy customers why they are unhappy and resolve the issues
• Regularly review products/services and ALL communication to make sure they fit in with brand values and client base

Defining a brand:

Review the product or service the business offers, pinpoint the space in the market it occupies and research the emotive and rational needs and concerns of your customers. The brand character should promote your business, connect with the customer base and differentiate in the market.

Branding By Thinking:

In this method, brand strategy is approached in a rigorous, centralized and formal business planning process. Typically this approach is used by companies with large and diverse product portfolios that are defined as a “house of brands”.  Each brand within the portfolio has its own management team, customer segment, product life cycle, supply chain, performance metrics, market share, and profit contribution mandated by centralized planning and tons of data.

Think of brand as a person: Every one of us is an individual whose character is made up of stories, beliefs, values and purposes that define who we are and who we connect with. Our personality determines how we behave in different situations, how we dress and what we say. Of course for people it's intuitive and it's rare that you even consider what your own character is, but when you're building a brand it's vital to have that understanding.

Defining what’s driving the business

What does it believe in, what is its purpose? These things can help establish the emotive brand positioning and inform the identity and character for brand communications.

Branding By Imagery

This method is usually driven by advertising agencies in a leading brand development role and linked to creative execution of various ad campaigns. Marketers and their agencies closely link the brand to imagery driven by the latest trends and fads in the culture, and expressed through art directors, photographers and commercial directors. Brand strategy is approached in a more functional manner driven by the cultural associations customers have that are surrounding the brand image.

Build long-term relationships with customers

Don’t create an illusion of offering and raise expectations that result in broken promises, create trust with honest branding, be clear what the company is and be true to the values that drive it every day.

Branding By User Experience

The target customer segment perceives product quality, functional benefits and brand image as a given. What these customers seek is an experience that dazzles the senses, touches the heart and stimulates the mind.  The customer is the most important component of the brand. Brand managers focus on service design and usability, which are at the very core of these experiences, to drive brand strategy.

Don’t imitate big brands

Try and carve out own distinctive identity. There is a big consumer trend towards independent establishments, and several chains are in fact trying to mimic an independent feel to capture some of that market. Truly independent operators can leverage their status to attract customers who are looking for something more original and authentic.

Branding By Self Expression

Marketers place the role of brand building as collaboration with their customers. Marketers innovate new meanings rather than products. Customers are actively participating in creating the meanings associated with the brand that are a reflection or a symbolic representation of their own personal identity or inner self. 

The key to every successful branding effort is consistent quality. Anything connected with a brand represents the business. If the name is attached to something that is flawed, customers will assume that the product is flawed. Conversely, if the business is held to high standards of excellence in all things, your brand will prosper. Make sure your blog posts, advertisements and website content are professionally written and your flyers, business cards and other printed materials are well-designed. If customers see a brand they can respect, there will be no trouble convincing them to trust the product.

Zaid Rayeen

Brand and Marketing Consultant

nextleaderbiz@outlook.com