The POWER of branding!

November 30, 2011 | Advice
What make a brand and how does it become powerful?
A brand is the identity of a specific product, service or business. Wikipedia
A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well. Jeff Bezos
In the factory we manufacture lipstick, in the store we sell hope. Charles Revson (Revlon)
As soon as you see a brand like the ones above, your brain starts processing emotions that you associate with that brand – you can’t help it.
Branding works on many different levels and bombards all the senses not just your eyes. Think about it, what we hear, say, feel and smell all spark memories and alter how we feel about everything.
Generating brand exposure and increasing brand awareness can be subtle like teaser and whisper campaigns or IN YOUR FACE but either way there is no getting away form them. Scarily, children can identify McDonalds before they can speak!!
So why is branding so powerful? Well it might sound corny, but Branding can change the world! Ok, ok maybe not the world, but Coco-Cola helped to change Santa from not only traditionally wearing Green to Red to match their branding but also what he might like now you have to admit that takes some doing.
Knowledge is power – knowing your market, your industry and your audience enables you to put a plan together to influence how your customers and target market buy and from who – we call it marketing panning and branding.
The boom in using Social Media and the internet is having a massive effect on branding (both positive and negative) allowing brands to respond immediately to their critics and customers wants and demands.
The world is a lot smaller, faster, technology savvy place thanks to powerful branding and social media – no longer just for the big brands and companies. Smaller companies can create brands and watch them grow and develop without having to invest a fortune to do it – but to be powerful the branding and the message has to be right for the company and the audience it needs to attract.
So, how powerful is your brand and what is your brand saying about you?
Our top 5 Branding tips!
• Strategy – have a plan! Work out what you want to be known for from the start, test & measure everything so you know what works for you and your brand
• Consistency – keep the branding the same, repetition will build brand awareness and recognition
• Finger on the pulse – be aware of trends, new media and technology. Do you know what your customers want/need? What are your competitors doing?
• People – everyone within a company has their part to play in branding – don’t under estimate the importance of the customers experience, if we have a bad customer experience we are likely to tell at least 10 people (thanks to the likes of Twitter and Facebook etc the number of people we tell rockets!) When was the last time you put yourself in your customers shoes to see what you could improve?
• Investment – look at branding as an investment and not as a cost! Brands are BIG business. Brands take time and hard work and reputation to build up but can be ruined very, very easily, make sure you do everything you an to protect yours.
FREEBIE: Make sure you have a ‘added value’ element to your brand and focus on benefits not features

What make a brand and how does it become powerful?

• A brand is the identity of a specific product, service or business. Wikipedia

• A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well. Jeff Bezos

• In the factory we manufacture lipstick, in the store we sell hope. Charles Revson (Revlon)

As soon as you see a brand your brain starts processing the emotions that you associate with that brand – you can’t help it!

Branding works on many different levels and bombards all the senses not just your eyes. Think about it, what we hear, say, feel and smell all spark memories and alter how we feel about products, people – brands.

Generating brand exposure and increasing brand awareness can be subtle like teaser and whisper campaigns or IN YOUR FACE but either way there is no getting away from them. Scarily, children can identify McDonalds before they can speak!!

So why is branding so powerful? Well it might sound corny, but Branding can change the world! Ok, ok maybe not the world, but Coco-Cola helped to change Santa from not only traditionally wearing Green to Red to match their branding but also what he might like now you have to admit that takes some doing.

Knowledge is power – knowing your market, your industry and your audience enables you to put a plan together to influence how your customers and target market buy and from who – we call it marketing panning and branding.

The boom in using Social Media and the internet is having a massive effect on branding allowing brands to respond immediately to their critics and customers wants and demands.

The world is a lot smaller, faster, technology savvy place thanks to powerful branding and Social Media – no longer just for the big brands and companies. Smaller companies can create brands and watch them grow and develop without having to invest a fortune – but to be powerful the branding and the message has to be right for the company and the audience it needs to appeal to.

So, how powerful is your brand and what is your brand saying about you? Here are our top 5 Branding tips!

• Strategy – have a plan! Work out what you want to be known for, test & measure everything so you know what works for you and your brand

• Consistency – keep the branding the same, repetition will build brand awareness and recognition

• Finger on the pulse – be aware of trends, new media and technology. Do you know what your customers want/need? When did you last ask them? What are your competitors doing?

• People – everyone within a company has their part to play in branding – don’t under estimate the importance of the customers experience, if we have a bad customer experience we are likely to tell at least 10 people (thanks to the likes of Twitter and Facebook etc the number of people we tell rockets!) When was the last time you put yourself in your customer’s shoes to see what you could improve?

• Investment – look at branding as an investment and not as a cost! Brands are BIG business. Brands take time, hard work and reputation to build up but can be ruined very, very easily, make sure you do everything you can to protect brand.

FREEBIE: Make sure you have an added value element to your brand and focus on the benefits not features – remember you need to stand out from your competition.